


Laceration

by DizzlyPuzzled



Series: Engrave [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Danny Phantom, Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Data - Freeform, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know, M/M, Minor Character Death, Portals, They love each other so much, green glow, happy couple, kings - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-04-25 10:18:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 36,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14376708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DizzlyPuzzled/pseuds/DizzlyPuzzled
Summary: It's a fight against time as war is coming, and only a few know it.And only one may be able to stop it before the entire world comes crashing down.They're still out there, waiting for their moment to strike, and while the focus is on them, Something darker is cooking just under the surface.





	1. Prologue

Laceration

_Prologue_

_“So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.”_

_-T.S. Eliot-_

* * *

 

               Damian gently touched the glass leading to the room where Danny was sleeping. He knew this was going to be hard, and his father had told him multiple times that if Danny woke up, he might not remember them.

               After the second day, they had to put Danny in a straight jacket after he would fight them off. He nearly took Superman out for a while during one of the attacks. Damian knew that when Danny woke up in this room, he wasn’t going to be happy.

But Damian knew the fear he felt when Danny didn’t return from the store. The fear when Danny went missing for four days.

* * *

 

_“Damian, it’s okay,” Dick said as Damian paced the floor. They both knew that this was out of character for Danny to just drop off the face of the earth. He wasn’t much of one to just disappear without a reason. Or without letting them he was going somewhere._

_“You and I both know that something is wrong. We need to go out there,” Damian demanded pointing out the door. “Danny could be in trouble. He’s never late.”_

_“I know, I’m worried too, but he’ll turn up,” Dick smiled hoping to lighten the mood._

* * *

 

               “He’s stable, and his powers aren’t seemingly out of control anymore,” Batman said looking at his son. “J’onn believes he’ll wake up soon.”

               “I should have done something sooner,” Damian growled glaring at the prone form of his boyfriend on the bed. “I shouldn’t have believed Grayson.”

* * *

 

_Danny felt the prick of a needle in his back as he walked down the ally towards his apartment. He turned and seen a flash of white and red before his vision faded to black._

_He woke up to the sound of someone pounding on the wall._

_“Danny, I know you’re there, get the hell up,” he recognized the voice but couldn’t place it. He slowly rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up with a light groan. “Fenton, you better not be dead.”_

_“I’m alive,” he croaked out feeling the stiffness in his arms. He seen the white gloves of Phantom and wondered why he had changed forms when he was human when he went out. He looked up into the eyes of Valerie and choked._

_“Good to see you too,” Valerie greeted with a small smile glad that he was okay._

* * *

               Damian slowly closed the door to Danny’s room behind him. He knew that his father probably knew he had been slipping in here at night, but after two years of sleeping next to the hybrid, he didn’t like sleeping alone.

               “Hey, Danny,” Damian whispered pulling up one of the chairs and sitting down. He gently rested his hand on Danny’s arm that was strapped down to the bed. “I know you hate this, but you really put a dent in Superman’s ego.” Damian gently pulled up a little on the arm, but knew it wasn’t going anywhere. Danny was going to be sore when he woke up.

               “You should have seen him when we finally got you settled down,” Damian smiled slightly. “He was not happy that someone could hurt him while unconscious.” Damian looked over his shoulder at the window and seen a shadow move. “I know you’re there, Grayson.”

               “Alright, you caught me,” Dick said as he opened the door. “How is he?”

               “Father doesn’t think that when he wakes up he’ll remember much,” Damian said. “They found some files about wiping his memory. Father thinks they may have started, but never got the chance to finish before ARGUS crashed into their base.”

               “My question is why did ARGUS know where they were?” Dick asked looking at Damian sharply. “Bruce couldn’t find any way for them to have tracked unless…”

               “They tracked Danny. I know,” Damian whispered hanging his head. “Danny knew they could. They had bought some of his parent’s technology before they were arrested and disappeared. Danny told Waller that he would help her take down the Guys in White.”

               “I heard that they were holding one of her most trusted agents,” Dick said as he pulled up another chair.

               “Yeah, and it was one of Danny’s friends from Amity.”

* * *

 

               _“Valerie?” Phantom asked slowly standing up in the cell. “What happened?”_

_“It’s some off set of the Guys in White,” she said as Phantom walked closer. She watched as he tensed completely and closed his eyes tightly. “You okay?”_

_“No,” he whispered feeling his body begin to shake. He couldn’t deal with this. He thought he was finally free._

_“Well, they wanted us for whatever reason.”_

_“That’s because young Daniel here has been keeping secrets from you and his family,” Vlad said as he entered the room. Valerie glared at him._

_“I know who you are and what you can do,” she growled hoping it would make him leave Danny alone._

_“Really, little girl,” Vlad grinned as he tapped on the glass wall between him and Phantom. “I highly doubt that.”_

_“I shorted his powers out permanently,” Phantom said glaring at the man. “I thought you were still in jail after all that happened.”_

_“Early release. I may not have Plasmius anymore, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make your life a living hell, and once I figure out the name of your boyfriend, Robin, then I’ll destroy them as well.”_

* * *

               “Good Night, Damian, and don’t do anything stupid,” Dick warned as he walked out. Damian looked back over to Danny.

               He was taking Danny home as soon as he possibly could. This wasn’t the place to let his boyfriend heal.

               It never could be.

* * *

 

               Damian felt someone pulling his pillow, or whatever his was using as a pillow. He blinked and looked up into startled blue eyes.

               “Danny?” Damian asked with a smile. Danny stopped trying to pull his hand away. Damian felt his heart drop in his chest when Danny stared at him for a moment.

               “Who are you?”

 

 


	2. Of All Good Things

_Laceration_

_Chapter One_

_Of All Good Things_

_“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”_

_-Lou Holtz-_

* * *

 

               _“Phantom, report?” Robin said into the com. Static filtered thought for a moment._

_“There’s about six guys, and Black Mask,” Phantom answered. Robin could faintly hear an argument. “He’s just hitting his guys in anger since we stopped their last shipment.”_

_“So, they don’t think we’re here,” Robin confirmed as he fired his grabbling hook over the building his boyfriend was in. “I’ll be over in a minute meet me on the roof.”_

_“Alright,” Phantom said as Robin jumped._

_He landed on the roof in a crouch and roll before getting up all in the same motion._

_“Graceful,” Phantom grinned at him. Robin sent him a small glare before grabbing Phantom’s hand._

_“Let’s just go,” Robin said as Phantom took them through the roof and into the room with Black Mask and his men. Two of them were already down._

_“You better not screw up this…” Black Mask was cut off when Phantom appeared in front of them with Robin in a fighting stance next to him._

_“Too late,” Phantom laughed as his hands lit in green energy. Black Mask pulled out his gun. Robin jumped back and leaped over one of the men while Phantom just turned intangible._

_“It’s over, Black Mask,” Robin growled out knocking out a guy and ducking down from the gunfire before bashing another guy into the ground. Robin pulled out his sword and started deflecting the bullets. “You’re going back to jail.”_

_“I won’t stay long,” Mask growled before pulling out an ectoweapon making Phantom tense after knocking out the last guy. “But I’m taking your…”_

_Phantom blasted him into the wall with ecto energy before coming up to him fast holding the weapon in his hand._

_“Where did you get this?” Phantom demanded as his energy melted the gun in his hand._

_“Some guy in a white suit,” Mask said grabbing Phantom’s arm. Phantom tightened his grip around Mask’s neck._

_“When?”_

_“Couple days ago,” Mask got out kicking out his feet. Phantom dropped him to the floor with a glare. Robin gently rested his hand on Phantom’s shoulder._

_“We knew they were still out there.”_

* * *

 

               “What’s the last thing you remember?” Superman asked. Danny glared at his lap. The white jacket keeping him from moving much was making him antsy.

               “My sister’s funeral,” Danny said carefully looking around at the heroes. Why was he here? What was going on? “Where am I?”

               “Somewhere safe,” Superman smiled. “That was a while ago. I’m sorry.”

               “Where are my parents?” Danny demanded. The guy who had been asleep on him earlier walked forward.

               “Your father has disappeared and your mother was admitted to Arkham a year ago,” he answered sending a small glare at the Man of Steel. “Although, I think you knew where your father was before you disappeared.” Danny looked up at him. He felt something familiar, but couldn’t place it. Something was wrong.

               “Why am I here then?” Danny asked pushing against the jacket. He wanted out.

               “You’re in danger,” Superman said gently resting his hand on Danny’s shoulder. Danny jerked it away the best he could before nearly falling off the bed. Damian gently caught him before he hit the ground. “We’re only trying to help.”

               “Yeah, right,” Danny growled sharply. Damian smiled lightly. Danny didn’t really trust them before he lost his memory anyway, but now; he didn’t even trust Damian either.

               “Look, someone did something to you; we’re still trying to figure it out. Is there anything you remember?” Superman asked a little shortly. Damian almost wished his father had come instead. At least he would have known a bit more on how to ask Danny things that wouldn’t shut him down.

               “No,” Danny growled as Damian backed away from him. His energy was ringing in the room, and Damian knew that Danny could escape the jacket whenever, but was clearly waiting to be by himself.

               He just wouldn’t know about the ghost shield of his own design that was in the room keeping him trapped.

* * *

               “Anything?” Batman asked watching the video. Superman shook his head.

               “No, I don’t think he remembers any of us, or anything,” Superman sighed. “Damian seems a little off.”

               “How would you feel if Lois suddenly had no idea who you were or that you were together?” Batman asked making Superman turn to him.

               “They were together?”

               “Have been for nearly two years.”

* * *

               “Do you need anything?” Damian asked leaning against the wall. He wasn’t going to leave Danny alone if he could help it. He didn’t want Danny to think he could fight his way out.

               “Out of this would be nice,” Danny growled. Danny sent him a small smile suddenly making Damian narrow his eyes. Danny was nothing if not clever. “Maybe use to bathroom.”

               “I can help you, but I’m not letting you go just yet,” Damian said with a small smile too. Danny wasn’t getting off that easy.

               “I don’t need help,” Danny growled with a glare. “I am more than capable of using it myself.”

               “I’m well aware, but I also know that there are a few things that you need to be aware of before you can roam around freely again,” Damian said as he helped Danny stand. Danny glared at him but felt a little off standing.

               “Yeah, mind telling me then?” Danny quarried before slowly walking over to the bathroom. Damian pointed to the mirror. Danny looked up and barely recognized the person staring back. All tension in his body drained out as he watched the person in the mirror move with him.

               “Your sister died almost three years ago,” Damian said. “Your friends a month later and your parents were arrested for their deaths along with a few more charges on top of it.” Danny turned to Damian with wide eyes. Damian could feel the trembles going though Danny’s body. “I think for now that’s enough. Still need to use the bathroom, or are you going to try to use your powers?”

               “You know about those?” Danny asked hanging his head.

               “Yeah, you designed the ghost shield that’s surrounding this room,” Damian informed. “I don’t care if you take off that jacket, but there’s a lot more that you don’t remember.” Danny swallowed looking down. “And while I might give you leeway, the rest of the League might not.”

               “Why would you?” Danny asked looking at Damian curiously. “Why wouldn’t they?”

               “I think I’ve done enough for now, maybe later,” Damian said gently guiding Danny back out of the bathroom. “Is there anything you need?”

               “Yeah,” Danny whispered pulling a little at the jacket. “My memory would be a good start.”

* * *

               “Damian?” Bruce asked seeing his son leaning against the wall against the room that Danny was staying in. “Get anything?”

               “May have told him a bit about what happened to his family,” Damian grumbled.

               “But not about you and him,” Bruce said as he sat down next to him. “He may never remember.”

               “He might. J’onn said he couldn’t get a read on him before,” Damian whispered pulling his legs up. He didn’t realize how much he relied on Danny until he wasn’t there.

               “He could read his emotions, but not his actual thoughts,” Bruce said making Damian glare at him.

               “You never trusted him, did you?”

               “He’d been working with Waller after Vlad was arrested,” Bruce informed making Damian.

               “I know, he told me. He made a deal with her to help take them down for protection from the government. She kept her word to him,” Damian said. “She’s the one who saved him to begin with anyway.” Bruce looked down.

               “You should have told me,” Bruce said.

               “It wasn’t my place. Danny trusted me,” Damian whispered. “And now he can’t remember. He doesn’t even remember his time in the Guys in White compound.”

               “You’re the one who knows him best. If he does remember, you’ll be there next him,” Bruce smiled at Damian. “For now, that’s the best you can do.” Damian looked up at him and sighed.

* * *

               Danny looked over at the camera on the wall. He wanted to know what exactly it was that Damian wasn’t telling him. Those heroes were hiding something from him. Something more than just the fact that he lost the past three years.

               He wondered what else his parents had been charged with and who it was. He figured that Vlad probably had something to do with his father disappearing. He looked down that the jacket before turning intangible and letting the jacket off of him. He pulled his hands up and stretched out a little before cracking his knuckles.

               Danny looked down at himself and nearly stopped seeing the top of a scar near his shoulder. Another one matched on his other shoulder and fear crawled up his spine as he remembered screaming.

               But he had no idea why.

* * *

               Damian pulled out a picture that he had in his belt. It was one of him and Danny in Europe. Waller had gotten Danny clear of everything against him and got him a passport and valid ids. They were in front of the Eiffel Tower. Danny was kissing his cheek as he took the picture.

               Damian smiled remembering that night when Phantom flew them to the very top of the tower. It was above the viewing dock, and they could see for miles. It was one of the most relaxing things Damian had ever done.

               “Please remember, Danny,” Damian whispered to himself. “Please be okay.”

* * *

               Danny pulled the jacket back on. He knew he didn’t want to know exactly what happened to him just yet, but whatever it was, it happened a while ago. Something that Damian hadn’t wanted to tell him. He decided that for now, he would play by their rules until he figured out a way to get out of there.

               If what Damian said was right, then there was a ghost shield around the room. One that he designed which means he was following his parent’s footsteps in ghost hunting and researching. That was something he never thought he would be interested in.

               “Danny?” a voice caught his attention. He looked up quickly and tensed. “Hey, I’m Nightwing, or Dick Grayson. I was told you didn’t remember a lot of things.”

               “No, I don’t apparently,” Danny sighed leaning back and glaring down at his lap. Something was bothering him, but he wasn’t going to dwell on it yet. “I’m guessing I knew you too.”

               “Yeah, Damian needed a break for a bit,” Dick smiled at him. “It’s interesting actually, the rest of the League wants to lock you in a room and leave you there.”

               “Why?” Danny asked looking up. Vague flashes appeared in his head of the guy sitting in a room bleeding. Danny closed his eyes tightly and felt his powers cool him.

               “When we first brought you here, you fought back, and needless to say, you knocked Superman down without too much of a problem. It took five leaguers to get you down,” Dick said as he looked down at his hands before leaning off the wall and pulling a chair up. “Damian was the one who was able to get you stopped before you brought down the house.”

               “I’m sorry,” Danny whispered feeling like crap. He couldn’t remember any of that, but now he was worried. If he was a threat to the league, then there wasn’t much he could do to keep them from deciding he was too much of a threat before locking him away in a hole.

               “Its fine, you planned for issues similar, but no one wants to hurt their friends,” Dick smiled when Danny tensed. “Batman thinks you’ve made a positive influence on Damian. Since you showed up he hasn’t tried to kill anyone or put them in a full body cast.”

               “I’m…I don’t know what to say,” Danny muttered pulling at the jacket. “But I take it that I won’t be out of this thing anytime soon.”

               “If Damian has his way, you’ll be out of here tonight,” Dick smiled. “But you’re going to have to stay with Damian. He’s not the only one sticking his neck out for you. But he feels like this isn’t the place for you to heal.”

               “Why does he bother?” Danny asked. Dick hung his head for a moment before pulling out a photo he had slipped from Damian’s pocket. He handed it to Danny.

               “He loves you.”

* * *

               _“You’re a dork,” Danny laughed as Damian pushed him off the couch. “Oh, come on, play fair.”_

_“Not in this,” Damian defended himself. Jason glared at the two of them. “I’m a great businessman.”_

_“This is monopoly and I think you’re both cheating,” Jason accused pointing his finger at Damian. Danny looked up at him from the floor._

_“You’ve been in jail for the past two turns, how is that our fault?” Danny asked blinking innocently._

_“You cheated in the last game,” Dick said crossing his arms. He watched Danny carefully knowing that the hybrid would get back at them._

_“No, you pissed me off, so I overshadowed you,” Danny corrected with a grin. “Don’t worry, Damian banned me from doing it again.”_

_“Yeah, well, you threatened me with the same thing, so house rules, no using your powers during game night,” Damian said with a grin. Danny laughed and fell back on the floor. Damian smiled before leaning back on the couch and propping his feet up on Danny’s stomach._

_“If you two are going to get gross, then I’m leaving,” Jason mumbled as he finally paid his way out of jail only to nearly land himself in trouble on one of Damian’s properties._

* * *

               Damian glared at Superman while Superman glared back. Superman sighed after a moment and shook his head. The boy was just like his father.

               “Look, I know you care about him, but we can’t just let him loose back into the world. He’s dangerous, and who knows how much damage he will…”

               “I know,” Damian growled taking a step up and straightening up to stand taller. “Danny wouldn’t hurt anyone without a reason. He’s not a danger, and I’ll take full responsibility for anything that goes wrong, but it won’t. I know Danny.”

               “You knew him, but without his memory, there is no guarantee that he won’t go after someone,” Superman argued and turned to Batman who had been watching them quietly. “Back me up here.” Batman narrowed his eyes at his son. Damian knew Danny better than anyone, and he had been there with Danny for a year before they even knew something was up. Batman knew that Danny could stay under the radar, and that he wouldn’t hurt anyone unless he was provoked.

               “You keep him next to you at all times,” Batman ordered. “Find a safe house; don’t go home till we know if that was compromised.” Damian nodded before turning around and heading out.

               “Bruce,” Superman started but was cut off by a glare.

               “Danny needs to remember, and he knows enough about his powers that they are controlled. That’s not the problem, and Danny was a hero before all this. If anyone can help him, it’ll be Damian,” Batman said. “Clark, he knows enough about Danny, and I highly doubt Damian would let anything bad happen to Danny to begin with.”

* * *

               “Did it work?” Dick asked as Damian walked up to him.

               “Yes, but Father doesn’t want us to go home. He wants us to stay at a safe house until he figures out what was compromised,” Damian said as he started to open the door. Dick stopped him.

               “I told him about you,” Dick warned. Damian glared at him. “He needed to know.”

               “Yeah, so he knows how I feel, but now what do you think he feels?” Damian shot before opening the door. Dick looked down. “He’s not going to magically feel the same to someone he now views as a stranger.”

               “I’m pretty sure he’ll be more than willing to trust you a lot more than anyone else,” Dick whispered. “He needs that security.”

* * *

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if there's any questions and anything you would like to see in this story.


	3. First Meeting

Laceration

Chapter Two

_First Meeting_

_“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.”_

_-Jane Austen-_

* * *

 

               “You’re letting me go now?” Danny asked as Damian started to unbuckle the jacket from around him. Danny let Damian pull it off and slowly worked out the kinks in his shoulder. Danny had no idea how to deal with this. That picture was enough for him to believe that he knew the person in front of him very well at one time.

               “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Damian said looking at him. “And you staying here isn’t helping, clearly.”

               “Right,” Danny whispered as he slid off the bed and stood up. He brought his hand up and made it turn intangible. Damian watched him carefully. He knew Danny could fight back, and that his shield was up. He did not want to fight his boyfriend. But he would if it came to it.

               “I have a place we’re going to stay in Gotham,” Damian said. It was the first place that Danny stayed at. “I’ve fixed it up a bit from…”

               “I’ve been there before then,” Danny cut him off. Danny let his hand become solid before looking up at Damian.

               “Yes, you have,” Damian whispered as he packed up a small bag. “It’s the first place you stayed when I found you.”

* * *

 

               “Where’d they go?” Superman asked looking at the computer. Flash looked at him before shaking his head.

               “No idea, Damian dropped off the radar,” Flash said. “Bats isn’t helping either. He told me to leave it alone.”

               “Phantom is powerful; we can’t just let him be till we know for sure he’s not a threat.”

* * *

 

               “This is your idea of a safe house then?” Danny asked as Damian opened the ally door.

               “You had no complaints about it last time,” Damian muttered as he unlocked the apartment door. Danny slowly followed him in and put down the bag of his clothes that Damian had brought him.

               “Okay, fine then, why did you bring me here?” Danny asked. Damian looked at him.

               “Because you needed help,” Damian said as he pulled out the couch. “The bedroom had been turned into a medical room of sorts, so if we crash here, we just kinda sleep here.” Danny looked over the small room and the cabinet.

               “So it’s a rest area for heroes basically,” Danny mumbled as he gently set his bag on the table. He closed his eyes.

* * *

 

               _“Is it a burn or a bruise?”_

_“An…incision.”_

* * *

 

               “I was injured,” Danny whispered looking over to Damian who dropped the sheets to the floor. He turned to Danny with a smile.

               “You remember?” Damian said with a slight surprise. He had hoped that being somewhere familiar would jog something.

               “Not…I’m not sure,” Danny whispered looking around. Damian had fixed the place up a little since then, but the area was still the same. “It’s there, but then it’s not.”

               “You were injured; it hadn’t been healing well,” Damian said as he walked up to Danny and gently pressed his hand against Danny’s chest.

               “There’s something there, but I haven’t really…” Danny looked away. “I was afraid to look and see what had happened.”

               “You had been captured and escaped, then on the run,” Damian started looking at Danny’s eyes that were glued to the floor. He hadn’t been able to really look Damian in the eyes since they were in the Watchtower. “You were stealing food and supplies from a local store.”

               “Doesn’t sound like something I would do,” Danny said sending a small glare at Damian.

               “You were desperate and hurt. You were trying to survive,” Damian explained before gently reaching up to Danny’s face. Danny watched the hand carefully. Knowing that the man in front of him was in love with him was a bit odd, but something was also telling him that he had been in love as well. “I decided to help instead of sending you to the police.”

               “I guess that makes sense,” Danny whispered looking down as Damian gently rested his hand on his face. Danny closed his eyes again. Something was digging at him. He jerked back and into the wall making Damian jump lightly.

               “Danny?” Damian asked watching the hybrid carefully. “Danny, you okay?”

               “No, I…” Danny grabbed his hair and pulled. “I can’t…” Damian slowly made his way over to Danny and gently wrapped him in a hug hoping that it would work. It always worked before.

               “Your name is Danny Fenton. You’re safe. You’re in Gotham,” Damian whispered.

* * *

 

               _“My name is Danny Fenton, I’m safe. I’m in Gotham,” Danny whispered as Damian gently rubbed his back. “I’m safe. I’m in Gotham.”_

_“Yeah, you are,” Damian whispered back. “You’re going to be alright.” Tears were gathered in both of their eyes, but they knew that as long as they had each other, they could take on the world._

* * *

 

               “My head hurts,” Danny whispered slowly as Damian backed away from him slowly. “I’ve heard that before.”

               “Yeah, it was something I found that helped you with the nightmares,” Damian explained. “Are you gonna be okay?”

               “Not sure,” Danny mumbled feeling so lost. Damian gently put his hand on Danny’s shoulder in comfort.

               “Just take a breath,” Damian whispered. Danny looked up at Damian with confusion. “You’ll be alright.”

* * *

 

               “So, you want my help in finding Masters?” Hood asked leaning against the wall and staring at the lady in red.

               “He hurt a good friend of mine,” she said crossing her arms.

               “I thought you hunted him back in Amity,” Hood said turning his stare into a glare. Valerie looked down before taking in a breath.

               “I was young and idiotic. I know I made a lot of mistakes back then,” Valerie growled. “But I’ve seen you and Phantom working together. Hell, I’ve read that most of you guys with Batman work with him. You guys have been protecting him for a while now.”

               “Danny’s like a little brother to me, and considering he’s dating my adopted brother he’s got one hell of a protection squad,” Hood said pulling out a gun and pointing it at Valerie. She took in a breath knowing this was her fault. She should have listened back in Amity, and maybe none of this would have happened.

               “Look, I just want to help. He got me the job with Waller if that’s your problem with me,” Valerie said trying to remain calm. She needed friends. She was afraid that ARGUS might have been compromised. “Danny was there wherever I needed him. Even when I didn’t know I needed him. He was still there, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to be there when shit hits the fan now.”

* * *

 

               “We sharing a bed then?” Danny asked as Damian sat down on the pull out. Damian looked up at him realizing that it may be a problem.

               “I can take the floor if you feel uncomfortable,” Damian suggested looking at Danny carefully. He hadn’t really taken the fact that there weren’t more than one bed in this place.

               “No, it’s fine,” Danny whispered sitting next to Damian on the bed. “I’m guessing we shared one…before.”

               “Yeah, when you first stayed here, you were by yourself. I just went back to the manor,” Damian said. “I would come to help change your bandages every day. I had hoped that it wouldn’t scar over too badly. It could have been worse.”

               “You said that they got me in a lab,” Danny whispered running his hands together. “That’s…something happened.”

               “You were tortured,” Damian said shifting a little closer to Danny. “They ran experiments on you.”

               “I can take a guess,” Danny whispered closing his eyes. If he looked then it would be real, and he did not want it to be real.

               “You were hiding here in Gotham when I came across you, and then I started helping you. I would move you to safe houses to keep anyone from tracking you,” Damian said. “The paranoia started getting to you along with the nightmares. I managed to help you with those too.”

               “And then we got together,” Danny whispered looking down at the floor. He was unsure of how to feel about that. He had no idea who this person was, but there was still evidence that they had been together. Dick had shown him pictures and even told of a few stories.

               “That was much later,” Damian smiled. “It was you who started it in my defense.”

               “Alright,” Danny whispered. Damian turned to him sadly. Danny always shot back at him when he blamed him for something. Danny wasn’t one to just let things go. He loved to banter.

               “Wanna watch something?” Damian asked getting up and pulling out one of Danny’s favorites.

               “Sure,” Danny whispered as he laid down. Damien turned back and nearly stopped breathing for a moment as Danny got settled.

               He was on the right side of the bed. Damian knew that it would come in time, but he was certain that Danny would remember everything. Just the little things like which side of the bed was his was still the same. And he didn’t even need to be told.

               The only thing that he was worried about was the pain he would have to remember as well.

* * *

 

               Bruce glared at the screen of a smug looking Vlad Masters. He was loose again claiming that he had been possessed by a ghost that made him do the bad things he was accused of. Bruce sighed knowing he had something to do with it.

               Danny was only gone for four days, but he was unconscious for nearly two weeks. Bruce knew Damian had been hurting the entire time. That his son was beating himself up for not noticing the signs that something was wrong.

               Bruce knew that there hadn’t been any. There was nothing Damian could have done, but his son was still beating himself up about it. Hopefully taking Danny and hiding him away would help fix some of that.

               “Anything?” Clark asked coming up behind. Bruce glared at the screen.

               “No, ARGUS is still investigating, but Waller released the files,” Bruce said pulling up the files of the compound where they had found Danny.

               “Why’s Waller being helpful all of the sudden?” Clark asked looking over it. Bruce smiled a little.

               “She has a soft spot for our ghostly friend,” Bruce said pulling up the information on the Ecto Projects that Danny had started. “He’s been helping her shut down the Guys in White from a distance while providing her with the necessary information on ghosts in order to properly ensure safety.”

               “So, you trust Danny still? Even after finding out that he’s been working with her?” Clark asked looking at him confused.

               “I wouldn’t, but he had told Damian. He didn’t just do it without anyone knowing. He told the one person he trusted the most,” Bruce said. He turned to Clark with a sharp look. “Danny has been though enough to know the best people to trust and I bet the only one who truly knows everything from both sides is Damian. And I do trust my son when it comes to Danny.”

* * *

 

               Danny woke up to the feel of something warm against his back. He felt a little off, but it was familiar. Very familiar, and it was nothing like when he was dating Sam. He remembered sharing the bed with Damian. He shifted slightly and looked behind. Damian was turned away from him, but his back was pressed against Danny’s.

               Danny turned back around and looked at the wall that looked like it hadn’t been painted in a while. He could feel the familiar tug in his head from his memory trying to come back. He felt like he was missing something. That something was wrong. He closed his eyes tightly when a shot of pain went through his skull. He felt like he was drowning.

* * *

 

               _“You think that’ll work?” Phantom growled punching the glass. Valerie knew this wasn’t going to end well._

_“Of course, Little Badger. I’ve perfected the operation. It’ll only take a few weeks, and then you’ll be mine,” Vlad smirked as he walked across the hall. “And just to ensure it, I’ve captured a friend that you’ll kill once this is all over.”_

_“It won’t work,” Valerie shot hitting the glass as well. Waller should be locating her and Phantom soon. Waller had the tracker that could and Valerie knew that Robin wouldn’t be taking Phantom’s disappearance lightly. Everyone would know in a few hours._

_“You underestimate me,” Vlad laughed glaring at Phantom before a light came on above him. Phantom closed his eyes as it started flashing._

* * *

 

               Danny shot up with the memory and was breathing harshly. Damian was up right with him feeling the bed shift violently when Danny got off and started pacing.

               “Danny? You there?” Damian asked seeing the look in Danny’s eyes. He wasn’t responding, but he was moving back and forth constantly. This was something that Damian knew how to deal with. He could help, but he just hoped it wasn’t pushing Danny too far too soon. “Alright, just stay there for a moment.”

               Damian walked into the small kitchen and grabbed two mugs and started the kettle for tea. He grabbed the only one Danny would drink and set them out waiting for the water. He walked back into the living room where Danny had stopped pacing and was now sitting on the bed with his head in his hands.

               “It was Vlad,” Danny whispered looking up at Damian. “Wasn’t it? He’s the one who did this?”

               “Yes,” Damian answered as he leaned against the doorway. “He had Valerie as well which is what got Waller involved.”

* * *

 

               _“Thank you,” Danny smiled at Waller. “This is amazing; I could change the way we do research into ghosts without having to worry about getting captured.”_

_“Yes, well, you’re a lot more level headed than some of those Leaguers. Especially Superman,” Waller said as she handed him the files on his friend and father. “Both of them have been valuable to my organization. You’ve held up your end, and I’ve held up mine. I don’t want this to be the end of this relationship though.”_

_“That’s fine, Ms. Waller; just, I would like a short break from all of this for a couple months. Damian has something planned, but he won’t tell me where we’re going,” Danny smiled remembering the secrecy that Damian had been having for the past few days. “I’m kinda excited.”_

_“Good luck to you both,” Amanda smiled. “And you can call me Amanda.”_

* * *

 

               “She works for the government,” Danny whispered looking up at Damian confused. “Why did I…?”

               “She managed to bend a few laws and get you protection. She pulled some strings and you were able to ensure your own safety and that of the Ghost Zone,” Damian said. Danny looked ready to scream or cry, and Damian wasn’t sure which one he would prefer. Danny being angry was always hard since he was hardly ever angry, but him crying was easier to deal with even if the repercussions were nightmares.

               “So I made a deal with the devil?” Danny sighed pulling his hair a little. Damian walked closer and kneeled down in front of the hybrid. He gently pulled Danny’s hands from his hair.

               “No, you did what you had to in order to survive,” Damian whispered gently. “Everything you’ve done was to protect this world and the Ghost Zone. You never really made a deal with the devil even if that’s what everyone else thinks. You ensured that everyone was safe.”

               “Then why does it feel like I made a mistake,” Danny said looking at Damian. “Something’s wrong.”

               “Maybe there was something else you knew that you didn’t tell me, but I know you well enough to know that every decision you made was the right one,” Damian said gently tracing Danny’s knuckles. “You’re just getting things out of order. Maybe that’s why you feel like that.”

               “You like your tea with brown sugar,” Danny whispered making Damian pull him into a hug. “I remember that too.”

* * *

 

               _“Alright, you’re not allowed to ever try to make tea again,” Damian said with a laugh as he poured out the watered down and over sugared brew. Danny smiled at him._

_“Hey, you didn’t really give me much of a chance,” Danny defended himself as he sat down. “I got the sugar right.” Damian stopped what he was doing to turn to Danny who was smiling at him._

_“You’re trouble,” Damian said narrowing his eyes. Danny only grinned before standing up and wrapping his arms around Damian and kissing him._

_“Clearly, now, what do you want to do about it?” Danny asked gently nipping at Damian’s neck. Damian grabbed his arms and dragged him into the living room._

* * *

 

               “Well, it’s coming back, just not in order,” Damian whispered. Danny shivered slightly leaning against Damian. “You remember anything else about the lab he had you in?”

               “Electricity,” Danny whispered. “He shocked me. There were flashing lights and some kind of radiation.”

               “Radiation?” Damian asked pulling away slightly. They tested for a lot of things, but no one thought about radiation.

               “I don’t know,” Danny whispered hanging his head and running his hands through his hair. “I can’t…”

               “I’ll let my father know. He might find something in those files that ARGUS sent over,” Damian whispered pulling out his phone. Danny nodded before his stomach growled making Damian look over to him. “And breakfast.”

* * *

* * *

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys like about this and if there's anything else you would like to see.  
> My goal for this is Twenty Chapters and I'm over halfway there anyway.  
> I may end up turning this into a trilogy, but we'll have to finished this first.


	4. Rememberance

Laceration

Chapter Three

_Remembrance_

_“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.”_

_-Will Rogers-_

* * *

 

               “He’s remembering?” Clark asked looking at Bruce confused. J’onn had said that it was unlikely that Danny would remember anything.

               “Damian said something about his ghost powers being able to handle things differently than normal humans,” Bruce said looking over the radiation levels that they believed Vlad used. “It looks like he was making Danny have multiple seizures. He started with that trying to mess with his head.”

               “So he has brain damage?” Clark asked knowing that was dangerous. He knew that there was a chance that could end up being the change in Danny that could start him on the wrong path. He knew about Bruce’s fear of what Damian could end up becoming later in life. Those two things combined could mean the end of the world.

               “I don’t think so. He has incredible healing abilities so maybe his ghost half had been protecting his memories, but this is what’s interesting,” Bruce said as he pulled up another file on a man named Freakshow that had been in the custody of the Guys in White until they were disbanded and he was found dead.

               “That…You really think he was going to?” Clark asked seeing a glowing red gem.

* * *

 

               _“I’ve done my research, and since I no longer have the same weaknesses as a ghost, Daniel, I can now go further than ever before in ensuring you’ll be by my side,” Vlad grinned as he showed the hybrid a picture. “Remember him?”_

_“I destroyed both those things if you honestly think that’ll work…” Phantom trailed off when Vlad laughed._

_“Oh please, I managed to recover the pieces. I wanted to ensure that no one could use it against me, but now I have finally put them together,” Vlad smirked as he pressed a button. Phantom screamed._

* * *

 

               “Would you like to join me for training?” Damian asked as he put the bed back into the couch. Danny looked at him curiously. “It’s kinda always been our morning routine.”

               “I guess?” Danny said unsure of himself.

               “Don’t worry, I think you’ll be fine,” Damian smiled pulling out two bo-staffs and throwing one to Danny who caught it. He weighed it a little and blocked a hit that Damian had thrown. Danny looked at him surprised.

               “Don’t be too surprised, you’ve been training with me for a while. You may not have your memories, but you still have your training and reflexes,” Damian smiled blocking Danny’s offensive attack. Danny twisted his bo-staff around before blocking Damian’s next attack. They went back and forth getting harder and faster each time. Until Danny’s hit hard enough to knock Damian’s out of his hand. Damian flipped backwards while Danny stared at the fallen bo-staff with shock.

               “I’ve never…” Danny trailed off looking up at Damian in surprise. Damian laughed lightly.

               “He may have messed with your memories, but not your instincts. We’ve done this enough that we started falling into a rut, and you recreated it perfectly without missing a beat until you wanted to win,” Damian explained as he picked the staff back up and held out his hand for the other. Danny gave it back looking both amazed and scared.

               “But I don’t remember…Like I remember things about you but not like actual stuff we’ve done,” Danny tried to explain. He felt like a part of him was missing, and it was. He wanted those back. He didn’t want these partial parts of his past.

               “It’ll take time, but I’m sure you will,” Damian smiled. “You are still you. A little more cautious maybe, but everything else seems the same.”

* * *

               _“Danny, wait,” Sam begged as Danny stormed out of her room. “Please!”_

_“No, Sam, I’m done. I liked you, but you just…I can’t deal with the controlling,” Danny growled turning to glare at her. “I’m my own person. You keep calling me selfish because I would rather sleep and rest for a couple days and let the ghost hunters take care of it, but it just bothers you when I do that. When I just want a night together, you want to go ghost hunting. Just, stop. We’re done. We can still be friends, but that’s as far as it’s going to go.”_

_“Danny,” Sam whispered as he slammed the door and took off. She hung her head in shame._

_Danny cut into an ally and looked around before transforming into Phantom and turning invisible. He took off straight into the sky and over the clouds before letting visibility came to him. He looked up at the now blue sky and warm sun. A weight he didn’t know that had been on his shoulders was now gone._

_Sam would always hold a special place in his heart, but they weren’t meant to be together that way. He had other options and plenty of time to figure it out. For now, he was just going to enjoy life._

* * *

 

               “So what are we doing for lunch?” Danny asked as Damian put the movie away. Damian looked over at him and sighed. Danny looked down at the floor. “I’m not going to be leaving this place anytime soon, am I?”

               “We still don’t know what was compromised,” Damian said with a sad smile. “Until then, I would rather you stay inside. For your safety.”

               “Can we just go down the block or something?” Danny asked standing up. “I’ve never been one to really stay indoors for extended amounts of time.”

               “I’m well aware,” Damian laughed lightly. “But still, until we know how they knew where you were, I would feel better if we stayed here. Especially since we’re still in Gotham.”

               “I was stuck in a hospital room in a straight jacket, and now I’m stuck here in this room,” Danny growled with a light shake. He was starting to feel slightly claustrophobic with how small the place was, and sharing it with Damian was starting to get on his nerves. While Damian never really invaded his space, he was still feeling the walls close in.

               “I know, but…” Damian stopped hanging his head for a moment before an idea came to him. “How about this? You stay here for a couple days, and then Friday night we can go on patrol of the city together?” Danny looked up at him sharply.

               “What?”

               “Yeah, we usually take the Friday shift sometimes anyway, and while you might be stuck here in your human form, I can’t see a reason why you can’t go out as Phantom,” Damian suggested hoping that it would calm Danny enough that he would be willing to stay for a few days before getting restless again.

               “You would let me go on patrol with you even though there’s no guarantee that I won’t disappear,” Danny said carefully wondering what Damian was planning. Damian only smiled softly at him.

               “I hardly believe that you would. You know there are a lot of things you don’t remember, but you know about me,” Damian said with a soft smile hoping that Danny would know that he couldn’t hide from him. Even if he tried.

* * *

               “Clark, what is this about?” Batman asked glaring at his friend. Superman sighed before turning to the rest of the founding members of the League.

               “We believe that Phantom should be kept in the hospital bay here for safety. He’s dangerous,” Superman said as the rest of them nodded their heads except for Flash.

               “He managed to nearly take us out while he was in a coma, who knows what he could do now that he’s a awake,” Lantern added sternly. Batman glared at them all before turning to Flash. The only other hero that had met Danny before he was captured.

               “And you, Flash?” Batman asked with a slight glare. Flash looked down at the ground.

               “I was the only one who voted to leave him with Damian; they didn’t want to listen to me. I know Phantom is powerful, but he’s also more of a hero than anything else. He’s awake now, and so has control of himself. He’s not a danger,” Flash said with a straight back. “If anything, we can learn a lot about being a hero from him with everything that he’s gone though. But I understand where they are coming from. I think that Danny should stay with Damian though.”

               “He’s still dangerous and should have a close eye kept on him,” Superman growled lowly turning to Batman. “Bruce, we’ve already voted, where is Phantom?”

               “Damian went to ground with him,” Batman smirked. “I’m not helping you find them either. You want to try to go against Damian and Danny, that’s your problem. I’m warning you now though; it’s not a fight you’re going to win.”

               “He doesn’t remember anything,” Diana cut in. “Once he remembers, he can go back.”

               “Or, you keep him locked up and he no longer trusts any of us again.” Batman glared at Superman and Diana sharply. “Danny doesn’t need to be locked in a room and forgotten. It won’t help anyone.”

               “And putting him on the streets will?” Superman asked boldly standing straight, but he knew better. Batman would not be intimidated easily.

               “He won’t hurt anyone, and that I can guarantee,” Batman narrowed his eyes at them and walked to the door. He turned back slightly to give them all a glare. “Danny is a fighter, and so is Damian. Together, they can be unstoppable. That’s what you’re up against if you try to take him.”

* * *

               Danny sighed as he flipped though the channels. Damian had headed out to get some food since there hadn’t been much waiting for them. Damian had decided at the last minute which safe house to go to, and now Danny was by himself waiting. Danny turned off the TV and looked over at the wall. There was a hole about the size of a fist through it. He slowly walked up to it and gently traced around the edges. He could feel rage from the hole, almost like he knew what had happened. Like he was there.

* * *

               _Robin growled as he paced across the room. Danny was sitting on the edge of the couch feeling a little out of touch with reality, but grounded enough to know that running would just piss the other teenager off even more._

_“Of course my father decided that I needed to stay in the mansion, it’s not like I don’t have a life to live. Or that I don’t have people to look out for,” Robin mumbled under his breath. He was starting to feel a little pent up, and so he took off from the Wayne Manor._

_“Are you going to stay for a while then?” Danny asked pulling his hair lightly._

_“Yeah,” Robin whispered stopping his pacing and hearing the slight tremor in Danny’s voice. “Is something wrong?” Danny stood up and walked over to the wall before leaning against it and crossing his arms. The bandage shifted and Danny winced._

_“Having troubles keeping up,” Danny sighed softly. Robin turned to him and took off his mask. Danny looked up swallowing. “Staying in one spot is kinda new for me.”_

_“Feeling trapped?” Damian asked tilting his head slightly. Danny glared at the ground before turning and punching the wall making Damian glare at him._

_“Doesn’t even cover it,” Danny mumbled quietly feeling hands and knives and pain._

* * *

               Danny blinked at the memory and the feeling of hands that came with it. He quickly covered his mouth before running to the bathroom and throwing up what little he had already eaten. He closed his eyes and leaned against the toilet. Something was very wrong.

               He had been experimented on; Damian had told him. Now he was remembering it, and all the pain and torture after was coming. He knew this wasn’t going to be fun. He looked down at the puke in the water and flushed it, wishing life was that easy to get rid of the things you didn’t want to remember.

* * *

_“His bone structure is solid unlike the others,” O grinned as he pulled a little the rib. Phantom screamed out and light sound waves formed. O and K both backed up from the show of power before bright lights surrounded them._

* * *

               “Danny, where are you?” Damian called out as he walked in with the pizza. He looked over the living room, setting the box on the table and walking down the small hallway. He could faintly hear broken sobs coming from the bathroom and took off. He kicked in the door making Danny jump violently away from the toilet. “Danny, what happened?”

               “Nothing,” Danny whispered wiping away the tears that were falling. He couldn’t stop crying; it hurt so badly. Damian gently kneeled down in front of him and pulled him into a soft hug.

               “It’s alright,” Damian whispered feeling Danny wrap around him. Tears quickly soaked though his shirt, but he didn’t care. Something was wrong.

               “I can feel them,” Danny whispered. Damian felt his own tears start to roll down his face.

* * *

_“Danny, it’s okay, it’s only me,” Damian whispered as he gently pulled the bandage away from the incision. Danny pulled against the restraints that were around his wrists. He had pulled the stitches, and Damian knew that they needed redone and soon. “Danny, I need you to relax.”_

_“Please stop,” Danny begged shifting around and staring off to the side at the wall. Damian gently grabbed Danny’s wrist right above the restraints._

_“Just relax, and I can help you. You just need to relax,” Damian whispered leaning over Danny and feeling the blood start to soak his t-shirt. “Please, Danny, trust me.”_

_“Just make it stop,” Danny begged softly as he slowly relaxed. Damian slowly backed off and reached behind himself grabbing the suture kit and pulling the rest of Danny’s shirt off. Damian closed his eyes before shoving his emotions down and getting to work. Danny nearly screamed as Damian finished the stitches and wiped away the blood._

_“I’m almost done,” Damian whispered as he pulled out a clean bandage. Danny looked up at him with fear in his eyes and Damian knew that he was going to do whatever it took to make sure that Danny would heal._

_“Please, it hurts,” Danny whimpered pulling at the restraints. Damian gently rested his hand on Danny’s to stop it from pulling again._

_“Don’t move,” Damian said softly as Danny relaxed his arms. Damian released the latch making Danny shoot forward. Damian gently put his hand on Danny’s chest when he heard a pop. Danny had jerked his shoulder out on the arm that was still tied down. “Damnit, Danny.”_

_“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me,” Danny begged as he nearly fell back on the bed. Damian pulled him into a hug._

_“I’m not going to hurt you; just relax,” Damian sighed knowing that this was a bad flashback. He now had to put Danny’s shoulder back into place. “You’re going to make worse.” Danny reached around him with his good arm._

_“Damian,” Danny whispered pulling away lightly. Damian could feel the light tremors in his body._

_“You here now?” Damian asked gently putting his hand on Danny’s face and making him look into his eyes. “Danny?”_

_“I’m here,” Danny said swallowing lightly. “What happened?”_

_“You had a nightmare and torn your stitches,” Damian whispered. Danny leaned forward and kissed him making Damian freeze._

_“Thank you.”_

* * *

 

“Bruce, you have to listen to reason. We need to know where your son is keeping Phantom,” Superman pushed as he jogged to keep up with Batman’s fast walking pace to the teleporters.

               “No, you’re angry because he hurt you. Don’t worry about it,” Batman growled lowly. “Whatever your problem with Phantom is, you need to get over it. He’s still just a kid and still learning about the world.”

               “Bruce, he could hurt someone,” Superman said grabbing Batman’s arm and pulling him to the side. “He’s dangerous and we have no idea…”

               “I do have an idea, I know where they are. Damian has already told me that he remembers enough. We go in now, we could send Danny back. Damian is more than capable of handling it,” Batman informed slapping Superman’s hand away from him. “Leave it be. Gotham is mine anyway.”

* * *

 

               “Find anything?” GL asked leaning over Hawkgirl.

               “We know they’re in Gotham, but other than that, nothing,” Hawk sighed as she pulled up the computer. “We can’t run facial on Robin since we have no idea who he…” she trailed off as GL pulled up a picture.

               “All we can hope is that Batman doesn’t kill me for this,” GL whispered as they started the scan.

* * *

 

               “You alright?” Damian asked as he gently rubbed Danny’s back. Danny nodded and turned to him.

               “My head hurts,” Danny mumbled running his hands though his hair again. “Everything feels like a dream. A bad one.”

               Damian kissed the side of Danny’s head and pulled him closer to him.

               “It’s going to be okay,” Damian whispered putting his arm around Danny and pulling him close. “I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”

* * *

 

               _“I’m not going to let anyone else hurt you,” Damian promised wrapping his arms around Danny. Danny put his good arm around Damian. “I’m not sending you to Arkham. I would never do that to you, I promise.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much, I need a nap, and I'm going to watch Infinity War and Black Panther at the Drive In and ITS FINALLY WARM AND SUNNY  
> So let me know what you think about this chapter and story in general and if anything is too confusing, this should clear up the time jump a little better between the two while still holding on to the main plot


	5. Mobs and Monsters

Laceration

Chapter Four

_Mobs and Monsters_

_Happiness resides not the possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul._

_Democritus_

* * *

 

               “They’re looking for Damian,” Alfred sighed looking at the monitor. “What are you going to do?”

               “They want Danny back in that room, but Danny needs to heal. If Vlad’s planning on using that gem to control him, then the only one who may be able to pull Danny back is Damian. He has to remember,” Bruce said. Alfred could hear the concern. Danny needed to remember Damian otherwise they would have no way of stopping Vlad.

               “How much has he remembered so far?” Alfred asked. He liked Danny. He may not have been happy with the way Damian acted many times, but Damian was different with Danny. He was less hostile and was willing to work with the others better than before. He had grown out of his self destruction to a degree.

               “Dick told Danny about Damian’s feelings and their relationship with the hope that Danny would stay close,” Bruce sighed. “Damian said that he has remembered some things, but that he is also remembering his time in the lab.”

               “Master Damian wasn’t with him directly after. There were a few months,” Alfred guessed. “Therefore, Danny had healed somewhat before then. Now he’s being thrown directly into the fire with no way of knowing how badly he’s going to be burnt.”

               “I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Bruce said. “Working with Danny has given me a few insights on how he works. I don’t think he could really hurt anyone no matter what was going on. I’ve done some research on this Freakshow. Last time, Danny couldn’t hurt his friends when he was ordered to, and I bet that will still apply.”

               “That’s why Masters needed to wipe his memories.”

               “They’re the key to saving Danny.”

* * *

               “This is insane,” Hood growled pulling the hammer back on his weapon. Valerie glared at him.

               “The Guys in White have been holding up here for the past four days. They had to leave once ARGUS breeched their last base,” “Valerie explained. “They probably know where Vlad is being held up at. They have that info.”

               “So why come to me?” Hood asked. Valerie sighed and turned to him. “I’m the hardest one to find, so why not go for Nightwing or Red Robin.”

               “Cause Nightwing wouldn’t trust me enough to follow, and I’m not sure where to find Red Robin,” Valerie said with sharpness in her voice. “I’m doing this because I owe Danny everything. He’s done nothing but be a friend I needed.”

               “Yeah, he’s seems to be that kind of person,” Hood smiled behind his mask. Danny never judged for the crazy shit he pulled or his story.

               Danny understood death in a way that most could not. It was something Jason had trouble finding at times.

               “Danny has always been that kind of person,” Valerie whispered as they headed over to the building. “Let’s get that information and see if there are any more plans with Danny.”

* * *

               “It’s Friday,” Danny smiled pulling the done pizza out of the oven. Damian turned to him with a worried smile. “I’ve stayed, that means I get to go on patrol with you, right? Get out of this apartment.”

               “I did promise you that,” Damian whispered looking over the warning his father sent him the day before.

               The League was after Danny to take him back to the medical wing of the WatchTower. Damian swallowed. He needed something to keep Danny in, but Danny had kept his end of the deal by staying in and not complaining.

               “You want me to back out,” Danny whispered as he slammed the tray down. Damian turned to him as he felt the room drop in temperature.

               “Danny,” Damian whispered reaching out for Danny only to pull back when Danny glared at him. Toxic green eyes lit up his face making him look otherworldly.

               “Why make a promise you weren’t going to keep?” Danny growled feeling his energy gather. Damian took in a deep breath and gently picked up Danny’s hands in his own.

               “I’m going to keep it,” Damian said calmly. “Just, please, follow everything I say. If I tell you to disappear, you do so. I tell you to leave, you leave.” Damian watched as Danny’s eyes changed back to blue and relief flooded though his system.

               “You’re in control,” Danny agreed. He would do anything to get out of this apartment.

* * *

               “Damian’s taking the night patrol,” Dick smiled sneaking a glance at Alfred. “You know Danny’s going to follow him.”

               “Yes, and as long as the League keeps busy with other things, Danny should be fine,” Alfred sighed. “That young man would do fine if he stayed here. There’s more room than that little place they’re at now.”

               “Damian wants Danny somewhere familiar and safe,” Dick said with a small smile. “The cave and the manor aren’t all that familiar.”

               “But it would be safer.”

* * *

 

               “Why does it always seem like its raining?” Phantom asked floating next to Robin who was perched on a statue that was under part of a roof.

               “It’s Gotham,” Robin said as he looked over the city. He looked up at the sky where the signal would be if the police needed Batman. Hopefully there wouldn’t be much since Bruce is out of town for the week.

               “You’re not happy that I tagged along,” Phantom sighed as he landed behind the statue. “You want me to go back?”

               “Danny, there are people who don’t want you free,” Robin said as he turned and jumped down to be level with Phantom. “They want you locked away.”

               “And you were locking me away anyway,” Phantom growled turning his back on Robin. Robin took in a breath and walked up to him before grabbing his shoulder and turning him around to face him. Robin pushed him against the wall and pinned him there before getting in his face. Phantom stared at him surprised.

               “I took you somewhere that might jog your memory,” Damian said lowly. “I would have taken you home if it was clear that it hadn’t been compromised. I’m trying to protect you from whatever it was that Vlad planned. You mean everything to me.” Phantom swallowed as Robin shoved his leg between Phantom’s and leaned closed until their lips were barely touching. “And I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

               “I feel like I’ve missed something,” Phantom whispered leaning against the wall further. He wasn’t uncomfortable yet, but Robin seemed to be trying to prove something. Robin went to lean away when Phantom grabbed him. “I didn’t say you could move.” Robin looked at him surprised and leaned up again.

               “So if I do something like kiss you; you would let me?” Robin asked leaning forward again. Phantom wasn’t tense or anything, but he didn’t seem ready to go further. “Danny?”

               “I’m not sure,” Phantom whispered gently reaching up and tracing the mask on Robin’s face. Robin leaned into the touch missing it after so long. Phantom stared at his white glove that stood out against the black of Robin’s mask. “Although, this feels…safe.”

               “Now, that’s something I can work with,” Robin said slowly leaning in just a little more and gently pressing his lips against Phantom’s. Phantom leaned forward and deepened it.

* * *

               _“Ow, shit, Damian,” Danny laughed as Damian slammed him against the wall. Damian grinned at him and shoved his knee between Danny’s. “I kinda like you playing rough.”_

_“Good, cause I kinda like to play rough,” Damian breathed as he leaned into Danny._

_“I’m aware,” Danny said between breaths as Damian started kissing his neck. “Although I always thought you played dirty.”_

_“With you? I’ll do whatever I want,” Damian grinned grabbing Danny’s wrists and pinning them above Danny’s head. “And you’ll let me.”_

_“Yeah, I guess I will, but this would be much more comfortable in the bedroom,” Danny suggested as Damian nipped his neck._

_“More comfortable yes, but not nearly as convenient,” Damian countered squeezing Danny’s wrist making the hybrid tense up lightly and pull up on himself. “Or as fun.”_

_“Alright, clearly going to have to start some negations here,” Danny said feeling crowded. He leaned back and forced himself to relax into Damian and let him take control. “I’m clearly at a disadvantage here, so if I just let you do whatever tonight as long as we’re in a bed…” Danny trailed off as Damian found a point on his neck that made him wheeze._

_“You really want a bed,” Damian laughed slowly backing away from Danny and pulling him with him. “Fine, but that’s the only leeway I’m giving you tonight.”_

_“Alright fine,” Danny laughed knowing that Damian would stop if he took it too far no matter what._

* * *

               Robin jumped over an ally and landed on the next roof; Phantom followed closely behind. Robin stopped and looked up again at the spotlight with the Bat-signal.

               “I was hoping for a quiet night too,” Robin whispered as he jumped again and landed on the roof next to the GCPD.

               “It’s Friday, and it’s Gotham. That wasn’t going to happen,” Phantom smiled at Robin only to drop it seeing the worry on Robin’s face. “I’ll be fine. I know how to do this.”

               “I’m not worried about how you’ll react,” Robin said as he hopped on the ledge and studied Gordon and Harvey for a moment. “I’m worried about them.”

               “They know I was gone?” Phantom asked landing softly next to Robin. Robin looked over at Phantom with a small smile.

               “They were worried about you too,” Robin said jumping over and landing silently behind Gordon. “What is it?”

               Both men jumped and turned to him with a small glare. Phantom appeared next to him making the two take in another breath.

               “Can you not give me a heart attack?” Gordon asked staring at the two of them. “Glad you’re alright, Phantom. Robin’s been a little on the line.”

               “What do you need?” Robin asked crossing his arms and glaring at the commissioner.

               “We were left a message,” Harvey said pulling out an envelope. “It was for Batman, we think, but if he’s not coming, then…”

               “We can handle it,” Robin said taking it and looking it over. It was plain white with two black ink stripes across. “Have any idea who sent it?”

               “No, not with everyone whose normal MO is already in Arkham,” Gordon said scratching his head. “Both Mad Hatter and Riddler are there, plus they always seem more colorful.”

               “We know very few who aren’t though,” Phantom whispered gently taking it from Robin and lighting up ecto-energy in his hand. The black stripes slowly disappeared as writing appeared.

               _Time’s up_

_Get ready for the end of the world._

               “So, it’s one of your bad guys?” Gordon asked glaring at the ghost. Phantom looked up at him.

               “It’s possible that it’s also the Guys in White. Or at least what’s left of them. They’re getting desperate,” Robin suggested glaring at Gordon. They didn’t need Gordon to start accusing Phantom of anything at the moment.

               “That, and Vlad is out and about. He would do something like this to keep us busy while he planned on something else,” Phantom whispered looking over the wording again and flipping the card over. Phantom’s eyes widen seeing a picture of the Crown of Fire. “Or something else entirely.”

               “What is that?” Harvey asked as he touched the paper only for it to vanish into dust.

               “Something much worse,” Phantom whispered, looking up at the sky. Dark clouds were gathered and Phantom could swear there was a green tint to them.

* * *

 

               _“You’re not mad that I didn’t tell you about the crown?” Danny asked as they laid down. Damian rolled on top on him._

_“A little caught off guard,” Damian whispered. He was hurt that Danny didn’t trust him enough to tell him about being next in line for the throne of the Ghost Zone._

_“I turned it down to be its protector instead,” Danny said softly as he reached up and gently traced lines along Damian’s back. “That’s what they needed more than another King.”_

_“I understand, and we don’t talk about your place in the Ghost Zone much, but you still could have said something about it,” Damian said looking into Danny’s eyes. The green that was Phantom’s could just barely be seen under the surface and Damian hoped that it meant nothing bad._

_“I’m sorry.”_

_“You have nothing to be sorry about.”_

* * *

 

               “So Phantom’s running with Robin tonight?” Superman asked as GL and him flew to Gotham.

               “Yeah, according to my source that’s right, so we could follow or demand,” GL said when they reached the city limits. Gotham always seemed dark and both of them hated crossing into Batman’s territory without the man knowing.

               Gotham seemed even darker and creepier than normal. Almost like it was warning others to stay away.

               “Well, we don’t have long before Robin gets word that we’re here for Phantom,” Superman sighed and started flying to Gotham.

               They both missed the slight ripple of energy as it surrounded the city.

* * *

               “So it’s something ghost related,” Harvey questioned as he sat down at his desk. Robin leaned against the wall as Phantom started typing on Gordon’s computer.

               “Where I’m from, the town of Amity Park, there were a lot of ghost attacks. I was really the only thing between people getting killed from them and not. When the Ghost King took over the town and sent us all to the Ghost Zone, I had to do something. I was the only one who could,” Phantom explained as he pulled up an article about the King and the take over of the town. Gordon read over it before turning to Phantom.

               “So, you’re telling me that the Ghost King tried to take over the world. That’s really nothing new,” he said watching the ghost carefully. He had learned that the ghost was right about things most of the time and had wondered why in the hell Amity didn’t take him seriously.

               “Yeah, but I stopped him which is where is gets a lot more complicated. After I defeated Pariah Dark, I was next in line for the throne. I turned it down because I felt that the Ghost Zone didn’t need that kind of ruling. But then others tried to challenge me for it. I put a stop to it by changing what being a king meant,” Phantom paused and looked at the two detectives. “I became the protector. I became the Ghost Zone’s savoir. That put a stop to the challenges because while they wanted to rule, they didn’t want the responsibly of protecting everything.”

               “Alright, so this is a challenge?” Harvey asked looking over at a picture of the crown.

               “Maybe, but unlikely. Most of the ghosts don’t understand the balance between the two worlds like I do. I make sure that the two worlds don’t collapse on each other,” Phantom said looking at Gordon. “That’s what I did in Amity. Without me there, the hunters weren’t very interested, but I think that’s because there was still a million dollar bounty on my head.”

               “That’s a lot of dough,” Harvey smiled looking at the ghost. “Is it still there?”

               “Vlad had to take it off since he pleaded with the courts that he was possessed by a ghost and made to do all that,” Phantom sighed and pulled up another article about Vlad winning the mayoral election in Amity. “They believe that the ‘ghost’ in him cheated to win. They’re right, but Vlad was never possessed.”

               “He wasn’t?” Gordon asked raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

               “He was half ghost,” Phantom swallowed his nervousness. “Like I am.”

               “You look like a ghost,” Gordon pressed getting the feeling that the kid probably led a normal life too. He was just like every other hero out there leading two lives. He wondered how the kid did it. He wondered how anyone did it without being caught.

               “Not all the time,” Phantom turned to Robin with a small smile. “Same with him. He didn’t always look human. I took away his powers so he couldn’t hurt anyone with them.”

               “Do you think he would do something like this?” Gordon asked pulling out the pictures of the envelope they had since it vanished.

               “Yes, he would.”

* * *

 

               “The signal was up for about half an hour,” the person said with a shrug making Superman sigh. Clearly trying to find Robin and Phantom was going to be hard, but this was the first lead they had all night.

               “Thank you,” Superman smiled before taking off with GL. “Have any ideas on how to deal with Phantom if things go south?”

               “Hope it doesn’t. You know Robin will let him fight,” GL growled lowly. “We shouldn’t have let him take Phantom to begin with. Now everyone’s in trouble.”

               “Well, let’s hope we get there first,” Superman said as they landed on the roof of the GCPD. Superman flipped on the light.

* * *

 

               “Who the hell is up there?” Gordon growled glaring at the signal. Phantom looked up at it in question while Robin pulled out his sword. Phantom gently put his hand on Robin’s to settle him.

               “We should just stay here and make them wait,” Phantom suggested with a smile. “I’m sure it’ll bother them more than if we went up there.” Robin glared at him but relaxed.

               “Alright, so we know that whoever sent that note knows about the Ghost Zone and where you stand in the politics of it. So have any ideas on how to find them?” Robin asked looking up at the signal knowing that whoever was up there probably wanted Phantom more than Batman.

* * *

* * *

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for what I've yet to do to this story...but it needed to be done.   
> I couldn't do it.  
> (Don't worry, the story is still being finished, I'm almost done, but the ending is sad.)


	6. Time and Time Again

Laceration

Chapter Five

_Time and Time Again_

_You can never control who you fall in love with, even when you’re in the most sad, confused time of your life. You don’t fall in love with people because they’re fun. It just happens._

_Kirsten Dunst_

* * *

 

               _Danny felt arms wrapped tightly around him. He turned his head slightly to see Damian with his head buried into his pillow right next to Danny’s head. Danny noticed tear tracks down his face and quickly shifted around so he was facing Damian instead._

_“Hey, you alright,” Danny whispered gently into Damian’s ear. Damian nodded before pulling Danny close again. “You’re crying.”_

_“I’m fine,” Damian mumbled into Danny’s neck. “Just a nightmare.” Danny pulled him close and let him cry silently._ _Sometimes that was all Damian needed._

_“I’m here,” Danny whispered gently kissing his cheek._

* * *

 

               “Yes, they were here, but if you think we’re going to betray…” Harvey was cut off by Gordon giving him a sharp glare.

               “Phantom has proven himself plenty of times. I’m not going to betray that trust,” Gordon informed plainly. “We don’t want you here. Batman can take care of it. He’s done so for a long time now.”

               “Phantom is dangerous. We need to ensure that the people are safe,” Superman pleaded hoping to get the detective to see his reasoning. Gordon smirked lightly.

               “You sit there in your high tower, but down here on the streets, people like Phantom do what they can to survive,” Gordon snarled. “And while he’s here, he’s protected so I suggest you leave. Or I will arrest you for harassment.”

               “Look, only until Phantom remembers,” GL said. “He’s dangerous…”

               “He remembers enough,” Gordon said. “I caught them making out before they left.”

* * *

               “Alright, so either someone new has stepped up or Vlad is distracting us again,” Robin said leaning against the wall of a roof entrance. “You’re not sure though.”

               “Vlad doesn’t have nearly the pull he used to in the Ghost Zone,” Phantom said pacing across the roof. “He can’t safely go into the Ghost Zone. He depended a lot on his powers for the loyalty he did have. Without them, he doesn’t have much sway. At least, I hope he doesn’t.”

               “So you took a lot of that away when you took his powers,” Robin smiled hoping to help ease the panic that Phantom was showing. Phantom stopped and turned to him. “You alright?”

               “Maybe the half ghost thing doesn’t work like I thought it did. What if he wasn’t infected with ectoplasm like I originally thought?” Phantom questioned turning back towards the city and the skyline. “What if what I did caused something bigger?”

               “Then we fight,” Robin said glaring out at the city. “We aren’t giving up just because of a spoiled dead guy.” Phantom smiled lightly at the wording, but something was bothering him.

               He either brought Vlad back to life or let a soulless psychopath into the world. He hoped that it wasn’t the latter, but the former frighten him more than anything else.

* * *

_“Wow, you’ve got some talent, kid,” Flash grinned watching Phantom fly across the sky and skid across the road before stopping at the red clad hero._

_“Thanks, now we just gotta find,” Phantom trailed off seeing the robot rise again. “Can’t that thing just stay the hell down!”_

_“No,” Flash sighed. They had been at it for nearly an hour. Batman and Robin were both still missing since the last fight with the monster. “Look, I can search this area in like ten minutes. Think you can keep that thing busy long enough for me to ensure that everyone is safe?”_

_“Yeah, go,” Phantom yelled as a blast hit him back. He put up a shield to block more hits and give Flash enough time to run. Phantom pulled his energy together before sending his shield towards the monsters and pushing him back._

_He needed to find Batman and Robin and fast._

* * *

               “What is this place?” Phantom asked as he landed outside a warehouse. Robin turned to him with a smile.

               “This is where I’ve been keeping your research and stuff,” Robin said as he unlocked the door and opened it. Phantom walked in and stared at the equipment. The Fenton Jet was there, but it was now black with his insignia on the top of it. “It’s where you’ve been working for the past year on your own research.”

               “I figured I had followed my parents’ footsteps, just not like this,” Phantom whispered as he gently traced over a shielding system that looked like it was being put together. Robin gently rested his hand on Phantom’s over the device.

               “You’ve done a lot of research that has changed how the world views the Ghost Zone and ghosts in general. There are still people out there who don’t believe that ghosts are capable of feeling, but you’re making progress,” Robin informed pulling Phantom along with him. “You have made a huge difference in the small world of ghost hunting.”

               “Alright, so I’m guessing you could probably give me a run though since I don’t remember…any of this,” Phantom said looking around the maze of tables and devices.

               This might take a while, and if Robin would let him, he might consider just staying here for a few days and see if anything jogs his memory.

* * *

               Vlad sighed and ran his hand though his hair. He felt empty, but it wasn’t going to be for long. He had plans, and he was going to get back what was rightfully his. He just needed more time. More freedom to do what he needed to do.

               He was running out of both. Especially if ARGUS kept up the investigation into him.

               _“You can do this. Even if I’m not there right now to help,”_ Plasmius sneered as he stood besides Vlad’s desk. _“That child is nothing compared to what we have built. We can get him back.”_

For the first time in a long time, Vlad doubted that voice.

* * *

 

Maddie shoved the piece of pipe down the hole and pulled up again before the wires could get smashed. She growled silently. It was almost done; all that she needed now was an ectoplasmtic source for power. Suddenly she turned over and nearly fell over as the doctor studied her. She needed to start paying more attention before she lost all of her supplies for good.

               “You’ve been doing better, Mrs. Fenton,” Dr. Strange smiled at her. “Although, you’re good at getting what you want, I’m afraid we’re going to have to confiscate that device.”

               “I’m so close,” she whispered. “Just please, let me finish. I can prove that Phantom killed my son a long time ago. I just need more time.”

               “Yes, but there isn’t anything to prove that your son is even dead,” Dr. Strange said as he looked over his notes. Maddie had been deluded into thinking that her son was dead, but he had an apartment here in Gotham and was working at Wayne Enterprises. He had been hoping to get her to believe that he was still alive by showing her pictures of him, but so far nothing new had happened. He wasn’t sure why she was holding out on the delusion so strongly, and Waller prevented him from going further.

               Her son wanted nothing to do with her either, and it put him in a bind when he started talking about him making a living in Gotham.

               However, she was still creating new weapons and devices involved in hunting ghosts. He had a buyer lined up for them too, and he knew that letting her go would possibly ruin his future plans for the asylum. For now, she would just be a source of extra income until he unleashed his plan to find out who the Batman was.

* * *

               “So Vlad’s hiding somewhere, and no one knows where,” Waller growled at her men. They had been keeping track of him ever since he was released. She was angry that she had to stop her continued research into ghosts because of one man who managed to take back all his wealth and his connections.

               She was going to take him down one way or another, even if she had to send in Task Force X. She wasn’t going to let the relationship between her and Phantom fall apart.

               The kid was way too valuable to her plans.

               “I want four teams at each of his known houses. The moment any of you see him, I want to know,” she growled glaring at them. The commander nodded and started for the door. “Shoot him if it helps keep tabs on him, I don’t care.”

               “Why are you going after him?” one of her newer agents asked. She turned to him with narrowed eyes. She hated it when the new ones ask stupid questions.

               “Because, there are powers that are connected to this world that we must play with carefully if we wish to survive, and I’m going to make sure I’m the one that pulls us though it.” She shooed him away with a glare.

* * *

_Fire surrounded the place. Damian could feel the flames licking up near his body, but he kept running. Something was chasing him, and whatever it was, it was no longer his Danny._

* * *

               Damian shot awake with a start and was breathing heavily. He looked around and found himself in the small room that they had made in Phantom’s warehouse. He closed his eyes and took in a breath. Everything was fine. Danny was okay. It wasn’t real.

               “Danny?” Damian called getting out of bed. The hybrid wasn’t in bed with him, and must have woken up earlier. Damian slowly walked across the floor carefully. He knew staying here had been a risk, but Danny seemed more relaxed here than in the small safe house. “Danny?”

               “I’m in here,” Danny yelled back, and Damian could tell he was messing with something in the lab. Damian walked in to see the ghost shield that Danny had been making before he was captured.

               “What are you doing?” Damian asked sitting on a bucket that was next to Danny and watching him pull wires out of the device.

               “Couldn’t sleep,” Danny mumbled pulling out a chip and looking it over. Damian grabbed it and set it down before grabbing Danny pulling him away.

               “Alright, we’re getting you some coffee before you electrocute yourself again,” Damian said knowing that Danny was only a few seconds away from shocking himself. Danny sighed and pulled himself away from Damian.

               “Its fine, I can just…” Danny was cut off when Damian turned to him sharply.

               “No, you’re not. You would have woken me up if it was nothing,” Damian growled before shoving his boyfriend into the kitchen making him stumble.

               “Damian,” Danny warned glaring at him. Damian sighed before pointing to the table. He was tired and wanted nothing more than for Danny to remember everything. He didn’t want to deal with half memories and this whole mess, but he wasn’t going to leave Danny in dark. Not like this, not ever.

               “Look, you’re thrown into this. I know. You don’t remember, and it’s annoying, but you have to stay with me. Right now, I’m the only thing standing between you and that hospital room in the WatchTower,” Damian explained as he pulled out a couple mugs and started the coffee maker. He turned on the water heater to start himself a cup of tea. “Superman and Green Lantern are currently in Gotham trying to find you.”

               “I just couldn’t sleep,” Danny whispered looking down at the table wondering why Damian seemed to be acting so coldly suddenly. “I just needed something to do.”

               “Playing with a ghost shield you were designing to not only keep ghosts out, but also bounce back blasts isn’t the way to go,” Damian said turning to him. “I know what that thing can do; I had to patch you up last time.”

* * *

               _“Danny?! What the hell?” Damian yelled after hearing the screaming and crash. Danny was lying on the ground with burn marks up his arms and a black mark on his face. Danny slowly opened his eyes to show bright green that slowly dimmed back to blue before losing consciousness._

_“Okay, you’re banned from playing with the ghost weapons till you get a good night sleep,” Damian muttered pulling Danny up and over to the couch. After the fight with Black Mask, Danny hadn’t stopped to sleep for a while, and it was starting to worry Damian._

* * *

               “I’m sorry,” Danny mumbled pulling the mug of coffee closer to him. “I just…I thought I had it.”

               “It’s almost exactly what you did last time,” Damian whispered trying to keep his emotions in check. He didn’t want to hurt Danny, but sometimes the hybrid just did something that nearly sent him into panic. Especially when it came to something that was easily preventable. “Just, don’t play with the ghost shield or weapons till you remember what they do, okay?”

* * *

               “Bruce?” Clark called as he entered the living room. Alfred appeared next to him making the man of steel turn to him. “Where is he?”

               “He’s currently in a meeting. He does have a business to run after all. Is there anything I can do to help you?” Alfred offered watching the man carefully. He wasn’t going to let them take Danny away from Damian either. They had no idea exactly what it was about Danny that keeps Damian from going off the deep end, but they weren’t going to let anything get between them.

               “We need to know where Phantom is. He’s dangerous,” Clark warned looking at the butler.

               “So are you, yet we still let you in the house,” Alfred brushed him off as he walked out of the room. Clark sighed.

* * *

               “Anything there?” Waller asked into the mike. Static came through until Grey’s voice broke it.

               _“No, this was empty too. Hood thinks that someone is working from the inside.”_

               “He’s probably right,” Waller muttered glaring at the paperwork and leads she had. There was no way her agent should have been captured to begin with without someone selling information. And she knew for a fact that it wasn’t anyone in her Task Force X program. They had no idea that Valerie even worked for her to begin with. Now she needed to go though and see which ones may have been part of the Guys in White or worked with Masters before transferring to ARGUS.

               _“How’s Danny doing?”_

               “He doesn’t remember much,” she answered sadly. She liked the kid, and he was quick to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. Much like the Dark Knight, even if she wouldn’t admit that out loud. “He’s getting better. He’s with Damian.”

               _“Has the League been trying to get him?”_

“Unfortunately. Luckily Batman has been keeping them back,” Waller said as she looked over Agent Kenneth Keegan’s files. He was in the army and then disappeared for a few short years while working in a factory just outside of Amity Park.

               “But now I’ve got a lead,” she whispered pulling up the personnel files Phantom had on the known Guys in White operatives he had ran into back in Amity. And one dark skinned man seemed to match Kenneth just a little too well.

* * *

               “So Waller thinks someone in her organization is a trader. Typical,” Hood sighed as he jumped up on the roof. “I’m done. Look, I’m going back to Gotham and find Damian and see how Danny’s doing. If you need anything, you have my number.”

               “Wait, I…” Valerie stopped when she looked back at him and he was already gone. “I wanted to see him too.”

* * *

               “Mr. Fenton?” Waller asked as she walked into his lab. The man turned to her with a small smile.

               “Is he alright? Is he alive?” Jack asked standing up and walking to her. “Please?”

               “Yes, he’s fine. Tell me have you ever seen this man here before?” Waller asked pulling up a picture of Kenneth.

               ”He looks like Agent K of the Guys in White. They’ve been to our house before,” Jack cracked a smile. “Said Danny was too prepubescent to be Phantom. That was a little funny. But yeah, he’s definitely one of the agents.”

               “Great,” Waller muttered under her breath. She hated it when she was right about something she had been hoping to be wrong about.

* * *

               Batman crossed his arms staring at Diana who looked down at the ground.

               “You guys were still investigating Danny without telling me,” Batman said sternly. “You do understand that he is remembering and faster than he would if you had him trapped here. You need to give him time. He’s not going to hurt anyone. He hasn’t yet, and he isn’t going to.”

               “Clark and Jon are already in Gotham. Clark said that they haven’t been able to get anywhere,” Diana said trying to remain defiant, but she knew they may be in the wrong. The police were protecting the kid too. There was no way they would be able to find them if everyone was going to give them the run around. It was like Gotham was protecting the hybrid.

               “And what have they found?” Batman asked. He already knew. He knew everything already; he just wanted to hear it again.

               “The police won’t tell them anything except that Phantom and Robin were working together to go after some of the agents of the Guys in White who they believe left a message for Phantom.”

               “Great, and?”

               “They were caught making out before leaving the police department.” Batman let a small smile appear.

“Danny remembers enough then.”

* * *

 

               “How are you today, Ms. Fenton?” Dr. Strange asked when he stopped at her door. Maddie looked up at him with a glare before a killing grin stretched across her face.

               “I’m just fine, but I think it’s time I get out of here,” she answered as she stood up and headed toward the door. Dr. Strange looked at her worriedly before turning around to see a bright red grin and then darkness overtook his vision. “I need some fresh air.”

               “Sleep tight, Doc,” the man grinned widely. “Tomorrow’s gonna be a riot.”

* * *

* * *

 

 

 


	7. Turning Jokes

Laceration

Chapter Six

_Turning Jokes_

_The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible._

_-David Ogilvy-_

* * *

               “Well, I’m out of ideas,” Jon said crossing his arms and glaring at Wayne Manor. Sometimes he really hated that prick, but Batman refused to back down.

               “Bruce isn’t going to give them up. He’s been so tied into Gotham’s problems that he’s not seeing the ones beyond the city limits. Phantom needs to be kept in the WatchTower,” Superman said trying to keep his resolve. It was fading fast.

               It seemed like Gotham itself wanted to protect the ghost.

* * *

               “Well, you are just a bright ball of happiness, dearly,” Joker grinned wrapping his arms around Maddie. Maddie looked at him.

               “You promised to help me prove that Phantom killed my son. This is the only reason I’ve even considering working with you,” Maddie said as she pulled her weapons together. Joker looked over them quickly before turning to her.

               “Of course, my dear. You want justice for your little son who got caught up in some pretty nasty business, but first, there are a few things I need from you before I can help you,” Joker grinned.

               The desperate were so easy.

* * *

               “Feeling better?” Damian asked as he gently rubbed Danny’s shoulders. Danny nodded lightly and watched the documentary on space travel. It was a bit weird to know that Damian knew all this stuff and he not knowing how or remembering telling him, but it was nice.

               This was something he knew he liked doing. He remembered similar things with Sam. Although those times were few and far between, Sam wasn’t much for learning about space travel. She would rather go ghost hunting.

               “Somewhat,” Danny whispered feeling a little out of touch. “Kinda floating.” Damian nodded before digging his thumbs into the base of Danny’s neck making the hybrid moan lightly.

* * *

               “Well, we wouldn’t want you to start climbing the walls,” Damian laughed as Danny leaned further into him.

               _“So we’ve got nothing else on them?” Phantom asked looking at Amanda in confusion. “They aren’t showing up anywhere? I didn’t think that they could do discrete.”_

_“You’d be surprised what people will do when their lives are threatened,” Amanda said glaring at the file as well. “We know about their place in Gotham, but by the time my team made it there, they were gone.”_

_“Do you think someone might be tipping them off?” Phantom asked looking at Amanda with worry. “Do they know about Valerie?”_

_“Not many know about Valerie, only a trusted few,” Amanda confirmed with a slight twitch. “But the people I believe might be selling out will be punished.”_

_“I don’t want to know,” Phantom said looking away from her. He did not want to take things as far as she did and he didn’t want to know about it either._

* * *

               “He should be around here somewhere,” Jason mumbled as he walked the block again. He figured the best place to look for Damian and Danny would be somewhere near Phantom’s Lab, but he couldn’t remember where it was. “Why didn’t I just go on the rooftops? I could have found by now if I did.”

               Jason turned down an ally and looked up before looking around. It should have been down one of these allies. Jason walked to the back and turned before smiling.

               “Finally,” he growled out as he walked up to the door. _Why did it have to be so hard from the ground?_

               “Hey, anyone home?” Jason called out banging on the door. He stopped and listened for a moment before raising his hand to start knocking again when the door opened to reveal Damian glaring at him.

               “The hell do you want, Todd?” Damian growled looking upset and angry.

               “Where’s Ghostboy at?” Jason asked as he walked forward to enter the place. Damian stopped him.

               “He’s currently asleep,” Damian answered. “He’s not feeling very well.”

               “Right, I’ll be quiet till he wakes up then,” Jason said as he pushed Damian to the side. Damian closed his eyes and took in a breath. Jason wouldn’t bother Danny when he was asleep. He was the only one who often respected that Danny didn’t sleep a lot. The others wanted to wake him up and talk with him, and half the time they did it anyway.

               “Can you stay here then? I need to get some things. Danny wants to stay here instead of the other safe house,” Damian said looking at Jason. “I might be a couple hours. I didn’t want to leave him alone, but if you’re not leaving till he wakes up then…”

               “Yeah, I got your back,” Jason smiled as he sat down at the bar stool in what was their kitchen area of the place. “Go, and stop by the manor. Bruce has some more information about Masters.”

               “Alright, thanks,” Damian nodded as he grabbed his bag and helmet before taking off. Jason turned to look at the hallway with a small smile.

               “You’re seriously stressing that kid out. He would have usually noticed you lurking over there,” Jason laughed as Danny slowly walked out of the dark.

               “He’s a little overbearing to be honest,” Danny said crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. “Jason Todd, right?”

               “Yep, the one and only. You’re right about him, but you were gone for four days, and he was not okay with that,” Jason said as he turned the chair around.

               “Plus the fact that I don’t necessarily remember everything that happened?” Danny added as he walked up and leaned against the bar. “Why are you here?”

               “I like annoying you, and I was worried too,” Jason smiled at him. “We all were. You’ve been a good friend to all of us. Sometimes a lot more than we deserved.”

               “So you came to see how much I remembered about you?” Danny asked. Jason shook his head.

               “I’m an open book,” he smiled before letting it drop. “You really don’t remember me.”

               “No, Damian just went over all of your names and showed me pictures,” Danny said with a small glare.

               “You were always really good with faces,” Jason smiled. “Besides, I’ve also heard that you have been remembering, it’s just taking a while.”

               “It’s slowly coming back.”

* * *

               _“Jason?” Danny asked sitting on the step next to him. “Why aren’t you with everyone else?”_

_“Just got a bit much,” Jason said as he stood up. “Look, I’m gonna leave…”_

_“No, you’re going to tell me what’s wrong and why you think leaving a family dinner is a brilliant move,” Danny demanded crossing his arms and glaring at Jason. “They’re worried about you.”_

_“Look, I died and they mourned,” Jason said gesturing at the house. “My grave site is still back there. Bruce doesn’t really think I’ve come back completely, and maybe he’s right, but still…They_ mourned _me. That’s not something you just get over.”_

_“Sure it is,” Danny shrugged with a small smile. “Dying and living aren’t different things. You’re still mourning your own death. I get that. Believe me, I get it. But they would rather have you as is than to lose you all over again. You died, and now…you live.”_

_“Gee, that’s real helpful,” Jason growled turning away from him when a flash of light made him stop. Phantom slowly walked in front of him holding out his wrist._

_“I’m dead now,” Phantom said and for the first time, Jason realized that Phantom’s voice carried a slight echo. “Nothing can change that.” Jason looked down at the wrist before picking it up and looking for a pulse. There was nothing there. “Ghosts are beings made up of ectoplasm. While this form does carry the looks of a skeleton and muscle, it’s all ectoplasm which allows me to bend my form. That doesn’t mean I’m alive in this form.”_

_“You die every time you change,” Jason whispered. He knew that technically Danny was considered dead as a ghost, but he never really realized how much he still considered himself dead._

_“I died, and now,” Phantom paused as a ring of light appeared and changed him once more. “I’m alive.” Jason looked down at the wrist that he was still holding. A strong steady beat was thumping across his fingers. “You just need to live. And to do that, you should go back inside.”_

* * *

               “Father?” Damian asked as he walked into the manor. Alfred had said something about Bruce being in his office. However, the office was empty. “Maybe he’s in…” Damian tailed off stopping as he noticed a switch in the air. “Manhunter.”

               “Where is Phantom?” J’onn asked as he crossed his arms. He would not read the boy’s mind unless he was forced to.

               “Where’s Alfred?” Damian demanded glaring at him and dropping his bag while pulling out a dragger.

               “He’s currently asleep,” J’onn answered watching the boy carefully. He was just as crafty as Batman, but there was something darker resting just under the surface. “Where is Phantom?”

               “Superman and Green Lantern are around here too I’m guessing,” Damian growled looking around the room. “Where is my father?”

               “I’m here,” Bruce growled as he exited out of the clock and glared at J’onn. “I told you guys to leave it alone. I have Gotham handled.”

               “Phantom is a powerful being. We must keep a watchful eye if…” J’onn cut off when Damian shoved the dragger close to his throat.

               “ _Danny_ will not hurt anyone. He’s safe where he is,” Damian growled tightening his grip on the blade. Bruce turned to him.

               “Damian, drop it,” Bruce ordered. This was the last thing that Phantom needed at the moment.

               “You are not getting him,” Damian warned before pulling the blade away. He never dropped it.

               “J’onn, if Danny even seems like he might cause a danger, I will take care of it,” Bruce promised. “Find Superman and GL and leave Gotham. I don’t like sharing territory.” J’onn looked at Damian before vanishing.

               “Jason said you wanted to see me,” Damian muttered trying to keep his anger in check. He may have been angry at Superman and the rest of them for not seeing eye to eye, but he knew that his father would have his back when it came to Danny.

               Sometimes Damian wondered why his father didn’t trust him when it came to anything else.

               “Yes, I found out a few things that I would like you to know,” Bruce said as he motioned towards the cave.

* * *

               Vlad paced the study. According to his source, everything he had was frozen, and a shoot on sight order had been given in order to track him down. He was a little worried about Ms. Waller. She clearly did not play well with others, and her operations were highly sketchy at best, borderline treason at worse.

               He wasn’t sure he wanted to play her game. Fighting ghosts and ghost hunters was one thing, but Waller wasn’t one to be held back by rules.

               _“We need a plan of attack,”_ Plasmius whispered. _“We need Phantom. You no longer have me to back you up for your plans. That orb may be the only thing that bends him to our will.”_

“I know, I know,” Vlad muttered cupping his hands over his ears. “I just need time to think and gather resources.”

* * *

               “You’re insane,” Maddie said watching as the gas pumped into the chamber. “I highly doubt this will mix with ectoplasm as well as you think it well.”

               “You said that Batsy is working with the ghost that killed your son, and normal gas won’t affect ghosts, but if it’s mixed with ectoplasm, and according to your research, ghosts will react to it,” Joker grinned as he danced around her. “Plus, it would add a harder hit, and maybe Batsy’s little counteractant won’t work.”

               “I don’t want to hurt anyone else,” Maddie growled glaring at the madman.

               “Just the people who believe that the ghost is innocent,” Joker laughed making Maddie turn to him. He had a point.

               “Fine, we do this your way.”

* * *

               “Dr. Strange?” Gordon asked as he watched Strange move the bag of ice off his head. “Why wasn’t Joker contained in his normal cell?”

               “There was a CO2 level emergency near his cell, and we couldn’t keep him in it for fear it would kill him,” Strange said softly. There was a small glint in his eyes that made Gordon uncomfortable. “Although I’m surprised he took Mrs. Fenton a long with him.”

               “Yeah, well, now we might have a problem,” Harvey said knowing that the woman wanted Phantom dead for killing her son. He knew that there wasn’t any evidence of her son being dead. He was still alive according to city records since he owned a little apartment on the upper part of town. He was also still employed at Wayne Enterprises and had been for nearly three years.

               Dick sighed as he clocked out and headed towards the door. Bruce had called him out to the manor for a debriefing on Danny’s condition. Dick knew the only reason Bruce was informing him of anything was because he knew that Damian wouldn’t. Although Dick wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t want him in his business or if the kid was stressed out.

               Dick liked to believe it was because the kid was stressed out over his boyfriend.

* * *

               _“There is no way,” Dick said as he watched Danny move out of the way from Red Robin’s blow. Danny simply said he wouldn’t make it obvious that he was using his powers during training. Dick knew Damian would be laughing if he had been able to make it. Danny would gently slide across the floor using his powers and then flip up and kick whatever weapon the other was using._

_“Sure there is,” Danny laughed as he dodged a fist to his face. Red looked angry since Danny had been mostly just taunting him instead of going into offensive._

_“I say you shouldn’t be allowed to use your powers at all,” Red growled twisting around and nearly slamming his foot into Danny’s side. Danny jumped over and vaulted over Red’s shoulder. Without letting go, Danny twisted back and pulled Red down to the ground._

_“I didn’t even need to,” Danny said with a smirk. He crossed his arms and looked down at Red. Red twisted quickly and kicked Danny’s feet out from under him. Danny landed on the ground and started laughing. “Feel better?”_

_“No.”_

* * *

 

“So we just let Batman win?” Green Lantern said crossing his arms. Flash grinned at him.

               “We don’t let Batman do anything. He already won,” Flash joked leaning back in his chair. “Look, I told you guys, I’ve worked with the kid. He has control and won’t hurt anyone. He’s good.”

               “He…”

               “He’s remembering. That should be enough,” Flash brushed off. “I vote we drop it and let Bats handle it.” Diana looked at them.

               “I believe Flash has a point. And I spoke to Batman. He can handle it and we should back him up. Clearly the police have also taken a side,” Diana spoke up watching Superman carefully.

               “Alright, so we take another vote,” Superman suggested. “All in favor of leaving Phantom to Batman raise your hand.”

               Flash, Diana, and Hawkgirl all raised their hands. Jon and J’onn both stayed down. It was tied.

               “Common guys,” Flash said knowing that this was going to be a problem until J’onn raised his hand. “Yes.”

               “Phantom isn’t indestructible,” J’onn informed. “He’s hurting, and Gotham is the best place for him. Under the protection of Batman, he will be fine.”

               “Then it’s decided,” Superman sighed. He would just have to keep a close eye and if things go south, he’ll have to resist the I-told-you-so.

               Even though Batman was never wrong.

* * *

 

               _“Alright, kid,” Flash grinned as they rounded up the robot parts. Phantom smiled at him. Batman and Robin were heading back to the cave while they played clean up. “You’re not too bad.”_

_“I like to think I work like a ghost,” Phantom joked as he shoved the biggest part of the robot onto a truck. Flash stopped before turning to him._

_“Ya know what? I think Batman would learn a lot from you,” Flash grinned as he sped away and gathered the smaller parts. Phantom let out a small laugh before picking up some more of the debris._

_Today wasn’t too bad._

 


	8. Breaking Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its the tipping point, and now there's so much that needs done yet.

_Laceration_

_Chapter Seven_

_Breaking Point_

_My turn of mind is so given to taking things in the absurd point of view that it breaks out in spite of me every now and then._

_-Lord Byron-_

* * *

 

               “So that gem controls ghosts?” Damian asked looking over the picture. “Even Danny?”

               “According to some research I’ve done, I believe he may have been under its influence before,” Bruce said pulling up a file on Freakshow. “Frederich Isak Showenhower was a ring master for Circus Gothica. According to the files in the GIW database, he was controlling ghosts to do the performances during show times and late at night forcing them to rob banks and museums.”

               “Alright, so they stopped in Amity Park and Danny got involved,” Damian whispered as he scrolled down slightly. He stopped seeing someone who looked similar to Phantom. A lot younger, and with deep red eyes that unnerved Damian. “Freakshow used him to commit robbery. That’s not Danny’s fault.”

               “Not why I’m showing you this,” Bruce informed pulling up Vlad’s files. “Vlad wanted to use that same crystal to control Danny, but after Freakshow was arrested, it was found destroyed at the bottom of a bridge. Danny broke that control somehow.”

               “So that’s why they wanted to take his memories. So he couldn’t fight back,” Damian guessed looking at his father. Bruce nodded before scrolling farther down. “He wouldn’t have known how to.”

               “Danny didn’t have control of himself at the time, but he wasn’t nearly as powerful as he is now. His powers have grown along with him,” Bruce explained. “Vlad wanted him for his powers more than anything else. If he had been able to do it…”

               “No one could stop him. Danny wouldn’t have anything to fight for. He would have been a blank slate,” Damian growled glaring at the ground.  “Vlad would have easily controlled him into doing his dirty work.”

               “Yes, but there’s something else. Danny has only guesses on how his powers work, you take into consideration that he is remembering now, maybe Vlad didn’t quite understand what makes Danny tick as well as he thought he did,” Bruce explained as he pulled up some of his own research into ghosts. “A lot of scientists believe that ghosts have something that ties them down. Maybe Danny has one too.”

               “Like what drives him?” Damian asked unsure of where Bruce was taking this.

               “Something that ties him down,” Bruce said again looking at Damian. “He has something to fight for even if he’s not entirely sure what it is. His unique situation may even allow him to change that if he realizes that or not.”

               “You think it’s me,” Damian sighed looking back up at the screen. Bruce turned his chair to him.

               “I think you gave him something to fight for when you first opened that door to the safe house and let him stay.”

* * *

               _“It’s going to be okay,” Danny whispered looking around the small room. Robin had taken off not too long ago and now Danny was alone. “You can do this. He didn’t take you to the police and he didn’t turn you in. He helped wrap the…he helped wrap the wound. It’s safe here. I can relax.”_

_Danny sat on the couch and picked at the fabric. It had been a couple weeks since he was able to lay down on something softer than dirt and grass. Danny closed his eyes and took in a breath._

_“Yes, this is the same Robin that people are scared would turn out to be a monster, but he helped you, so pull yourself together and get some rest. You might not get the chance to stay.” Danny felt his powers cool a little, but they were still so far away. He felt helpless without them, and he resolved to change that as soon as he could._

* * *

               Amanda watched as the agent nervously shifted side to side. She smirked and crossed her arms.

               “I’m having some troubles with a mole in my department. I don’t take those things lightly,” she said watching Kenneth closely. “I need to know who.”

               “I can help with that,” Kenneth smiled feeling under the microscope. He did not sign up for this. He had no idea how Waller was able to get away with what she did, but he was more afraid of her than anyone else at the moment. She had secrets with secrets from secrets.

               “I know you can, which is why you’re going to tell me what all you’ve told Masters. And if you don’t,” Amanda paused letting the words sink in a little. “You’ll get to see firsthand why I have a department nicknamed the Suicide Squad.”

* * *

               “Dude, you’ve been staring at that spot for twenty minutes,” Jason said as he leaned against the wall. Danny was staring at the inactive portal. It was starting to freak Jason out a little.

               “That’s where I died,” Danny said simply before turning to him. “You know what that’s like.”

               “Yes, it sucks,” Jason agreed softly. He knew that there were a lot of problems there, but he never really met the side of Danny that wasn’t okay with that part of reality. Danny always seemed pretty steady when it came to his own mortality and his own death. “But you helped me a lot in seeing it in a different light. I don’t want to kill as many people as I did before, and I don’t need revenge nearly as much as I thought I did.”

               “A part of me always kinda blamed my parents for it,” Danny whispered crossing his arms and sitting down on the ground. “I mean, they weren’t normal by a long shot, but they didn’t always think before they built something. They should have stopped after the accident in college with Vlad, but they didn’t.”

               “It was their passion,” Jason said as he walked over and sat down next to Danny. “You told me once that you were okay with your ghost half because you knew that without it you wouldn’t have met Damian, or any of us. That you would have been trapped with your other family. The one that seen, to me, the best side of you and left.” Danny looked at him confused.

               “I’m still missing pieces. Like part of me isn’t here any longer. I know that Jazz and my friends are gone but there’s something else,” Danny muttered. “And it’s about my family.”

               “We know about everything,” Jason informed making Danny feel his blood leave his face.

* * *

               _“Daniel James Fenton,” Maddie growled pulling him by his collar. “I’ve had it with you not coming in by curfew, so from now on; you’ll only get to go to your room, the kitchen, school, and the lab for your chores. You disobey; you will not like the consequences.” Danny swallowed as he felt the jab in his side from his mother’s hand._

_“I got it,” he mumbled feeling a cold sense of dread in his stomach._

_What happened to his caring mother?_

* * *

               “Oh,” Danny sighed feeling a weight on his shoulders. Jason gently put his hand on Danny’s shoulder.

               “My father wasn’t the best person either. He would hit me when things went wrong, but someone helped me just like Damian did for you,” Jason comforted. “He’s helping you out too, just not as up close.”

               “Batman,” Danny laughed a little feeling the beginnings of tears. Jason shrugged lightly before knocking Danny with his shoulder.

               “Yeah, the Big, Bad Bat won’t let anything happen to you if he can stop it,” Jason smiled making Danny feel just a touch lighter. “He’s very overprotective.”

* * *

               “Drake, heard anything?” Kid Flash asked as he stopped by the computer room. Tim looked up at him with a small smile.

               “They found him, but he’s doesn’t remember anything,” Tim informed feeling slightly relieved. “I was thinking about heading to Gotham and see him myself.” Kid Flash looked at him with a small smile.

               “I could come with you if you wanted me too?” he offered knowing that Tim hated going back to Gotham. It was like a black hole that sucked them in and they had to fight their way back out.

               “If I do decide to go, I’ll have to do it alone. I highly doubt Damian would really let everyone around his boyfriend so soon. I’m surprised he even leaves him to go to the bathroom,” Tim joked feeling much better. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t mind hanging out with Danny and Damian as long as the two were together, and they kept themselves somewhat tame.

* * *

_“You’re like a mix between Kid Flash and Jason,” Tim grumbled stuffing his hands in his pockets as Danny laughed and pulled his coat tighter around himself._

_“I think I got the same comparison from Dick, but his held more colorful words in it,” Danny said as he quickly ducked into the ally that would lead them to a safe house connected to the Batcave. “To be fair, I may have dumped dish soap in his clothes and let it dry so when he did laundry…”_

_“I get it,” Tim mumbled shoving Danny into the wall. “You are trouble and will wait to get your revenge.”_

_“Damn right I will. Just ask Damian what I did to him when he had a stick shoved up his ass,” Danny grinned again wickedly, and Tim knew that the next joke was going to make him hit the hybrid._

* * *

               Danny paced along the hallway. Jason had left to get food saying that Damian was on his way back. Danny knew that Damian was having trouble keeping himself together since Danny was captured, but there wasn’t a whole lot Danny could do about it at the moment. He felt like his memories were there and just out of reach.

               “Alright, Fenton, you’ve done stuff before where you couldn’t remember anything and you managed to get past that,” Danny muttered to himself as he stopped at the end of the hall facing the bedroom door. “Let’s see if that works.” Danny walked into the room and locked the door before sitting cross legged on the bed. He closed his eyes and felt the world tilt a little.

               “Deep breaths and relax,” Danny muttered to himself feeling his mind wander a little. He could do this. Unlike last time, he knew that the memories weren’t corrupted.

* * *

               _“Danny?” Damian asked gently tracing the scar on his chest. “You awake?” Danny muttered something before laying on his back._

_“I am now, what’s going on?” Danny groaned wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. Damian rolled on top making Danny squint up at him. “What?”_

_“Just wondering if you were still alive. You’ve been asleep for like ten hours,” Damian laughed making Danny groan and stretch out a little making his back crack._

_“Ow,” Danny moaned as Damian slowly traced along Danny’s stomach and up his chest._

_“Feel awake yet,” Damian asked softly in Danny’s ear before gently kissing it._

_“Yeah, I’m awake now,” Danny laughed as Damian slowly licked along his neck._

_“Good,” Damian whispered gently as he leaned himself against Danny a little harder. “Cause I kinda have some plans today since it’s the anniversary of us getting together.”_

_“I’m good with that,” Danny smiled as he kissed him._

* * *

               Damian walked into the lab and looked around. Jason had texted him and told him that he left to get something to eat. Damian didn’t have a problem with that, but Danny wasn’t anywhere in the lab or kitchen/living area.

               “Danny?” Damian called out walking towards the bedroom and bathroom. He looked over and seen the bedroom door closed. He tried to turn the handle, but it was locked. He gently knocked on it and listened closely.

* * *

               _“I don’t want it,” Phantom said feeling the eyes on him. “I just wanted everyone to be safe.”_

_“The one who defeats the King gets the crown,” Frostbite informed looking at hybrid with pride. “You did that. Therefore you are next in line for the throne.”_

_“Yeah, to stop him from destroying my home and the others,” Phantom explained staring at him. “The Ghost Zone doesn’t need that kind ruling. Pariah was locked away before for a long time without a problem. Why is now any different?”_

_“Because, Young One,” an observant said as he floated closer. “There were a group of ghosts who stopped him. You did this by yourself. You fought the Ghost King and defeated without others interfering.”_

_“This is too much. I can’t do it,” Phantom whispered feeling like his world was closing in on him. “Please, I don’t want this.”_

_“Then you don’t have too,” the observant said. “However, that opens a fight for power from the other ghosts who will challenge you for it.” Phantom narrowed his eyes._

_“I will protect the Ghost Zone and keep balance between the two worlds, but I’m not going to be a ruler,” Phantom promised as he raised his head to the Observant. “Would that work?” The Observant would have smiled had he a mouth._

_The tests were complete. Phantom would be the Protector of the Ghost Zone and Keeper of the Balance._

_He would keep them free._

* * *

               Danny’s eyes shot open to reveal bright toxic green making Damian stumbled back.

               “What the hell, Danny?” Damian demanded feeling a little better now that Danny was awake from whatever it was he doing.

               “You know, that was a little creepy,” Danny said with a small smile. Damian narrowed his eyes. Something was different.

               “What were you doing?”

               “Remembering.”

* * *

               “This should hit about a mile radius,” Maddie said as she added the smoker on the top. “If it works at least.”

               “I don’t see why it wouldn’t,” Joker grinned. “We have all we need for the device, now we just a good show.”

               “That’s your department,” Maddie brushed off. She wanted to ensure that they would all pay for turning their backs on her and her son. She would get her revenge on that ghost who had taken him from her one way or another.

               She knew that something was wrong when he kept coming home late, but she knew that her son wouldn’t hurt anyone.

               But Phantom would.

* * *

               _Maddie growled as she cleaned off the security camera in the lab and started it up. She knew that ghost was stealing their technology and she was going to prove it. She flipped on the computer and started playing the footage._

_Her son walked down to the lab and looked around before turning towards the portal. She couldn’t see who he talking, but she watched him closely as he pulled out a thermos._

_The same one that she had fired from Phantom’s hands not two days ago._

* * *

               “Wait, you remember?” Damian asked with a bright smile. Danny nodded his head.

               “Mostly. Its blurred, but I understand what’s going on much better than I did before,” Danny explained as he stood up and walked towards Damian who was standing near the door. Danny gently cupped his face. “Although the most important thing is that I remember how much I love you.”

               “That was the one thing I may have been concerned about,” Damian joked back looking into Danny’s eyes before pulling him into a kiss.

* * *

               “So we have four inmates from Arkham that escaped two nights ago,” Batman confirmed looking at Gordon with concern. “Joker and Maddie Fenton being the two that concerns you the most.”

                “The guards said something about them getting together and talking,” Gordon said handing over the file they had gathered. “They were concerned at first, but neither one of them really changed behavior from the normal, so they wrote it off as nothing.”

               “They were planning an escape,” Batman muttered glaring at the file. He would have noticed if he wasn’t dealing with Masters and Danny’s memory loss. This was just topping on what was going to be one hell of a week.

               “That’s what we were thinking,” Gordon sighed before rubbing his eyes under his glasses. “We…of course, now I’m talking to myself again. Phantom at least let’s me finish a conversation, and he can literally disappear into thin air.”

* * *

               “Well, that was something,” Danny laughed as Damian cuddled closer to him. They ended up in bed, but didn’t go much farther than a heavy make out session.

               “You scared the hell out of me,” Damian muttered letting himself relax. He hadn’t realized how much he had bottled up until he no longer needed to. Damian shifted his head on Danny’s chest before looking at the wall at the foot of the bed.

               “I’m sorry,” Danny whispered as he gently ran his fingers though Damian’s hair. “But whatever it is that Vlad’s planning, he never told me while I was there.”

               “He wanted you to work for him,” Damian said as he leaned up enough to look at Danny’s face. “He had this crystal thing that could control ghosts and thought he could use against you.”

               “Then why the memory wipe?” Danny asked tilting his head slightly and Damian sighed knowing that sometimes Danny didn’t put things together very well.

               “Because you could break the connection. He thought that if you didn’t have something that drove you…”

               “I would break easier,” Danny finished closing his eyes. “He never finished. He wanted me to kill Valerie.”

               “She’s fine. Last I heard, Jason was with her and they were tracking Guys in White compounds here in Gotham,” Damian informed as he traced up Danny’s sides.

               “That’s good.”

 

 


	9. Broken Record

Laceration

_Chapter Eight_

_Broken Record_

_It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men._

_-Frederick Douglass-_

* * *

 

               _“Let me tell you a story about a young god who wanted nothing more than to create peace. He was a young warrior who traveled using green vortexes. His travels span over years and years. He fought a great evil that wanted nothing less than to rule over all the land. This being had killed and maimed a great many before finally being put to rest._

_Where no one knows, but they still believe that the Great Warrior was still out there. Watching them to ensure their safety. They believed him to be a Protector. He was sworn to uphold balance between good and evil and ensure that the world would never be destroyed by one or the other._

_However, over the years, his story has been changed and forgotten. Time has not kind to what he had sacrificed for us all, so I tell you this story to pass it along,” she read holding the little boy. Bright green eyes stared at the page in the book._

_“What happened to him?” the little boy asked making the woman smirk lightly._

_“What happens to all great men who don’t know how to survive? They die,” she said simply making the boy flinch. “And then they are forgotten by the people who they once protected. Their Legends slowly fade in time.”_

* * *

 

               “Vlad’s trying to take back control of the Ghost Zone,” Danny said as he pulled out a book from under several boxes. Damian was helping reorganize the mess that the lab was in. Danny hadn’t really done anything but create shields and fix broken weaponry. Danny turned around and faced the portal. “I need to be able to get to the Ghost Zone too. I know Vlad still has working portals.”

               “You’re going to fix it?” Damian asked concerned. When they first brought it in, Danny never wanted to turn it on. He didn’t want the ghosts to also be coming to Gotham. He wanted to be free from them.

               “I don’t have a choice now. The Guys in White might be working for Vlad, but they probably still believe that he is going to destroy the Ghost Zone. All Vlad wanted was to make sure that the ghosts knew he had enough connections to kill them and force them to obey him.”

               “So what are you planning on doing then?” Damian asked. Danny turned to him.

               “Warn them that Vlad may be bringing war.”

* * *

               _“This isn’t the plan,”_ Plasmius snarled as he slammed his hands on the desk. Vlad glared up at him.

               “No, it’s not, but without powers I have no choice. Daniel would have surely gone back to Gotham with Batman,” Vlad growled feeling like he was tearing apart from the inside out. He had hoped that Daniel wouldn’t have trusted any adults with any of his problems. He had worked so hard on ruining anyone believing him back in Amity.

               _“No, because as long as the league believe he’s dangerous, then we still have a plan of attack,”_ Plasmius reminded pointing to the WatchTower schematics that they had stolen.

               “It might work if I had powers to back me up, but even Skulker won’t listen to me now,” Vlad growled. “I’ve lost nearly all my power in the Ghost Zone. The Ghosts never respected Masters, they only feared Plasmius.”

               _“Then you find a way to bring me back.”_

                Vlad looked at the green vortex of his portal and wondered.

* * *

               Bruce smiled as people entered the dining hall. He greeted the guests with kind words, but was carefully watching out for anything that might go wrong. With Joker on the loose, anything was possible and he wasn’t going to take the chance of these people being hurt if he could stop it.

               “Mr. Wayne, it’s a pleasure,” Dr. Strange greeted shaking his hand. Bruce narrowed his eyes knowing that there was something wrong about the man who was now running Arkham.

               “Doctor Strange, I’m glad you made it,” Bruce greeted keeping himself civil. He was angry that the man was the one who was there when Joker escaped. “I heard about what happened at Arkham.”

               “Yes, well, I was hoping that we had it under control, but unfortunately I was wrong,” Strange said as he tipped his head forward. “I’m hoping that things stay quiet, but I fear that it may be too late for that.”

               “Yes well, we can only hope that GCDP can stop him before he attacks anyone,” Bruce said he started to walk off.

               “Or the Batman of course,” Strange suggested with a grin. Bruce felt uncomfortable, but he pushed through it. He had trained for this, and his secret was safe.

               “Or Batman,” Bruce agreed before heading away. Something wasn’t right, and Bruce had a feeling that Strange may have let them loose.

               He just needed evidence to back up his suspicions.

* * *

               _“Danny,” Jack grinned as he wrapped his son in a bone-crushing hug. Danny flailed a little before Jack set him back down. “You’re alright. We were worried about you when the ghost started attacking and couldn’t find you!”_

_“I’m sorry, I got separated from the rest of the class,” Danny excused looking around. He really just disappeared to transform and fight, but he sure wasn’t going to tell his dad that._

_“I’m glad you’re okay,” Jack said with a wide smile. Danny smiled too, but it dropped the moment Jack looked away. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep this whole thing up, and he was too afraid of what his parents would think now._

_It’d been nearly two years since he’d gotten his powers, and they still had a deep hatred of Phantom and he had no idea how to make it better. Everything he’s done for the town and his parents still hate that part of him._

* * *

               “I’m close to figuring out how to track their weapons,” Jack said as he pulled up a map of Gotham. Amanda watched as a triangle shot across the screen. “Ecto-energy is still fairly new, but there seems to be multiple areas in which use it in Gotham. It might also be tracking Danny. I’m not sure.”

               “Well, it’s a start. We know Danny moves around a lot, but the weapons probably don’t. Your son has a lab in Gotham as well, so we can write that off too,” Amanda said looking over at the brightest point on the map. Of course they would find the lab again. She already knew where it was since that’s where Danny did most of their business. She wasn’t sure if she liked how trusting the kid was, but he sure as hell was resourceful when he needed to be.

               She could over look the trusting nature of him for that. He was someone who could clearly take care of himself in a tight spot.

               “Well, I’ve got maybe four or five places that might be it,” Jack sighed as his program kept going across until the satellite moved further away. “But they might not even be setting up shop in Gotham. They might be trying to stay away from Phantom too. If they know he’s there and was the one that took out their leader.”

               “Get me readings on Metropolis and Amity Park then,” Amanda demanded before standing up. “And look over the places where your old friend Masters stayed. They might also be hiding out there as well.”

               “I will,” Jack promised. He wasn’t going to let those monsters hurt his son anymore than they already had. And he wasn’t going to let Vlad get off that easily either. He gently patted his pocket where he kept a gun that Amanda had given him.          

               He would tear the man apart if he ever seen him again.

* * *

               “So, now we have everything set in place,” Joker grinned before pulling out a gun and pointing it at Maddie who glared at him. “Your services are no longer required.”

               “They are if you wish to use the thing,” Maddie taunted back. “I hid the firing codes. You want to use it; I get to be the one who pulls the trigger.”

               “And if this kills hundreds of people like you think it would,” Joker questioned. He had looked over her file and didn’t believe that she had it in her to kill, but he’d been wrong before. He liked being wrong sometimes. People could break so easily.

               “They don’t matter,” Maddie said as she crossed her arms. “Nothing does anymore. They let my son die and won’t even give him justice. So I’ll find my own.”

* * *

               _“Daniel,” Maddie growled under her breath. She was so done with his consistent absents and leaving early. She quietly changed the locks on the door planning on locking him out when she heard light steps coming from his room._

_There was no way he managed to get by her. She would have known. She silently walked up the stairs towards his room._

_“Damnit,” she heard him mutter as he shifted clothes around and she heard him kick something across the room. “I so shouldn’t have had that last one. It was too much.” Maddie held her hand to her face._

_He was not going to be doing any drinking or drugs if she had anything to say about it. She planned on making sure that he behaved from now on. And if that meant being a little rougher on him, then so be it. She was not going to raise a druggie._

* * *

               “It’s been four days and you still haven’t gotten it up and running yet?” Dick asked watching Danny pull a panel off the portal.

               “Dude, the last time it only worked because I died,” Danny informed smartly glaring at him. “I also didn’t build the thing, my parents did. Their designs suck by the way.”

               “They do,” Damian confirmed rolling out from under part of it. He looked up and Danny laughed at the grease stain smudged on his face. “I mean, how in the hell did this not blow up?”

               “Probably a lot of luck,” Danny guessed with a shrug as he took a step back when the panel sparked. “I’m really not sure how the whole thing works.”

               “The blueprints weren’t very helpful either,” Damian mumbled as he stood up. “I could barely figure it out, and I’m pretty sure they just guessed on most of what they were doing. How this thing even powered up is amazing.”

               “You know where your father is right?” Dick asked. Danny shrugged.

               “I mean, yeah, but…” Danny trailed off. Even though he’d forgiven his father, he wasn’t going to forget all the pain and horror that his father had overlooked back in Amity.

               “We have no idea what Vlad’s been up too since his release, and we have no idea where he could even be,” Dick said as he walked over to the portal. “I mean he was part of the process. Even the first time when Vlad got his powers. Maybe he knows something that he never wrote down in the blueprints so no one else could steal their work.”

               “Danny, it’s your call, but Grayson does, unfortunately, have a good point,” Damian sighed as he rubbed at the mark on his face. Danny smiled at him before making his decision.

               “I’ve got to make a call.”

* * *

               “I’ve found five spots in Metropolis they might be and two in Gotham that’s excluding Danny’s lab,” Jack said as he handed Amanda the file he made with the list. Amanda looked up at him with a small smile.

               “Danny called,” she started making Jack light up.

               “Is he okay?” Jack asked excitingly. He always knew that Danny was special. There wasn’t anything his son couldn’t do.

               “He’s needs your help. You’re going to Gotham and help him rebuild the portal,” Amanda said making Jack take a small step back.

               “I can’t. It would…” Jack cut off when Amanda turned a glare to him.

               “He’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. He has no way of getting to his ghostly allies. He thinks that the Guys in White are trying to start a war between ghosts and humans,” Amanda said. That was the last thing she wanted at the moment. “He’s the only one who might be able to stop it.”

               “I’m guessing he’s at his lab in Gotham?” Jack asked knowing he didn’t have a choice.

               That portal was the beginning of what tore his family apart. His greatest success was his greatest regret.

* * *

               “We need a bigger crowd,” Maddie suggested glaring at the Joker’s plans. “There’s an election for city council members. It’s not going to be a big crowd, but it will get a lot of attention.”

               “I like the way you think, my dear,” Joker grinned. He liked her more and more already.

               “There’s also a concert. I bet we can make it move somewhere a little closer and hit both at the same time,” Maddie said looking at him with a grin. “It would get us both what we want.”

               “My gas will make everyone just a touch happier, and yours will ensure that Batsy can’t just save them all,” Joker laughed as he started it. He would have to remember to not kill her after this all. She might make a better asset.

* * *

               “When is he supposed to be here?” Damian asked as he twisted around in his chair. Both looked towards the door when someone knocked on it. “Good timing.”

               “Yeah,” Danny sighed as he opened it. He looked surprised before stepping back to let the person in.

               “Or not,” Damian sighed as he started spinning around in his chair again.

               “Bruce said you guys were here,” Tim smiled as he hugged Danny. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

               “Thanks,” Danny smiled back. Damian made a gagging noise before Danny turned to him and stopped the chair. “Can’t you be nice for once?”

               “I’m nice to you. It’s about my limit,” Damian informed with a smug grin that Danny kissed off.

               “Alright, enough with the gross stuff. What are you working on?” Tim asked as he walked around the lab and noticed the portal was slightly dismantled and set up in the wall.

               “We’re setting the portal up,” Danny answered as he walked over. “We were waiting for my dad since we believe that they may have done things that weren’t in the blueprints.”

               “Awesome, can I help?” Tim asked making Danny nod while Damian shook his head.

* * *

               _“Hello Mrs. Fenton, how are you?” Mr. Lancer greeted shaking her hand. She smiled back and put her arm around Danny who flinched lightly at the contact. Lancer noticed but didn’t bring it up._

_“I’m well, thank you. What is it that you wanted to talk about?” she asked turning a concerned look towards her son._

_“We had an assignment about future careers,” Lancer started but stopped when he watched Danny’s shoulders tense and he tried to pull away from Maddie. Lancer noticed the tighter grip Maddie held, and he recognized the response. He’d seen it before._

_“Let me guess, Danny didn’t turn his in?” Maddie guessed. Danny turned a glare at her._

_“No, actually, he did,” Lancer stated changing what this meeting was going to be about. He’d never seen her like this. “I was just amazed at his plans for the future, and I wanted to know how you were going to help him achieve them.” Danny looked up at him and Lancer knew that the kid caught on the change. They were going to discuss college courses and the best way to get grants since Danny had pulled his grades up since freshman year._

_“Yes well, I’m sure he’s been able to bullshit his way through the assignment, I still don’t see how I can help,” Maddie said brushing it off. Danny looked at the ground before pulling away from her and heading towards the door. “Where are you going, young man?” Maddie demanded standing up and facing him. Lancer stood as well prepared for Danny to blow up._

_Although Danny had pulled his grades up, his attendance hadn’t and he had gotten snarky._

_“Anywhere that’s as far from you as possible,” Danny growled glaring at her. “You don’t really care what happens, so why pretend.” Danny slammed the classroom door._

_“He’s going to be grounded till he’s twenty,” Maddie promised looking at Lancer who only held a glare at her himself._

_“I wouldn’t bother. Originally I wanted to talk about college. He qualified for a twenty thousand dollar grant for his essay, which needs a parent’s signature since he’s still a minor. You clearly don’t want to help him,” Lancer stated. “I suggest you leave.”_

_Maddie growled as she left. There was no way her son actually did anything. She’s given up on him. He’s failed at least three classes according to Vlad, and it’s been driving her up the wall._

_She failed to notice that Lancer had told her that her son was excelling in school at all. She was too blinded by her own anger at her son._

* * *

               “Alright, so we got pretty far I think,” Danny said as Damian wrapped his arms around him. Damian leaned into his neck and pulled him close.

               “That’s good, that means we can stop whatever it is that you believe is coming,” Tim smiled before turning towards them. “Come on, guys. Seriously?”

               “Hey, I haven’t been able to really cuddle him since he woke up, leave me alone,” Damian defended himself as he kissed Danny’s neck. Tim rolled his eyes before heading towards the door.

               “I’m heading to the manor, if you need anything, call,” Tim informed before slamming the door shut. Damian laughed lightly into Danny’s neck.

               “Finally,” Damian mumbled gently rubbing along Danny’s side right under the bottom of his shirt. “I thought they would never leave.”

               “I feel like you may have had other intentions other than helping me with the portal,” Danny smiled as he leaned back. Damian nibbled at his throat while Danny turned himself around and lead Damian towards the bedroom.

* * *

               “Is everything together?” he asked looking at his loyal assistant. She smiled.

               “Almost, all we have to do is wait for Joker to strike,” she informed as she sharpened her blade. The man smiled.

               “Good.”

* * *

* * *

 

 


	10. Diplomacy

_Laceration_

_Chapter Nine_

_Diplomacy_

_"In the world of diplomacy, some things are better left unsaid."_

_-Lincoln Chafee-_

* * *

 

"There's someone new in town," Bruce said as he pulled up a list of heists that had been going down for the last four weeks. Alfred looked over the list and wondered where Bruce was taking this.

"Well, they seem to be very busy," Alfred commented looking back at Bruce. "Do you think that it has anything with Danny?"

"No, it's not the style of ghosts or Vlad," Bruce said as he started typing in commands to start looking for connections. "Whatever it is, I don't think it's related. It seems more mob related."

"Do you have any leads?" Alfred asked as he gathered the dishes that were left over from Bruce's dinner.

"A name," Bruce whispered. "Heretic."

* * *

"This is gonna be good, love," Joker grinned as he gently traced along Maddie's neck. "But I must ask, what are your plans for Batman when he gets near?"

"That gas should slow him down," Maddie smiled back. "And I'm not as defenseless as I look. I'm going to kill him for helping my son's killer go." They were ready, and now all they needed was their audience.

* * *

_"Well, there goes that plan," Phantom laughed as he floated next to Batman and Robin. Robin turned to him and pointed._

_"You shut up," he growled before jumping off the roof and running across the other. Batman smirked knowing that Robin would be fine._

_"We still have to catch them," Batman reminded looking back at Phantom. Phantom smiled at him._

_"I know, but I don't do the whole serious thing. Plus Flash is still down there helping clean up with the robots," Phantom said as he landed. "I can't believe you guys got caught by Toyman."_

_"It was a lapse in judgment," Batman said sternly before following Robin._

_"Yeah, and I totally just saved Batman," Phantom grinned taking off after them._

* * *

"You had me really worried," Damian whispered as he gently traced the scars on Danny's back. Danny turned to him slightly.

"I'm sorry. I honestly wasn't sure what happened. It was weird," Danny said as he shifted lightly making Damian roll over top of him. "It was…annoying. I knew you yet I didn't, and I couldn't tell what may have been real or not there for a bit."

"I was worried that you wouldn't remember me," Damian confessed softly. Danny gently cupped his face and kissed him. "That Vlad had taken you away from me."

"I think he may have been close, but you guys found me," Danny whispered. Damian pulled back slightly.

"Waller found you and told us," Damian said sadly. "We couldn't…we had no idea where you were."

"Dami, it's okay," Danny whispered as he pulled him closer. "I'm here now." Danny could tell Damian was close to crying, and sometimes all that anyone really needs is a shoulder to cry on.

* * *

_"Sam, don't you think you're overreacting?" Tucker asked. Danny stopped around the corner hearing them._

_"He's been skipping out on patrols and didn't even show up to our date yesterday," Sam growled as she slammed her locker open. "I mean really? It's like it's not even Danny anymore. He's not taking care of Amity anymore."_

_"It's really not his job," Tucker reminded. "He only did it 'cause he blamed himself for the ghosts. And I think he wanted the fame."_

_"And now? Amity's counting on him to stop the ghosts," Sam shot back before pulling her books out. "He's abandoning them."_

_Danny leaned against the wall and felt the beginning of tears. He just wanted a normal life for a bit, but they didn't. They wanted to keep fighting ghosts. He just wanted a break before it broke him._

* * *

"Danny," Damian whispered as he gently shook the hybrid.

"I'm awake," Danny mumbled making Damian smile. Of course Danny wasn't really completely awake, but there was someone there to see him.

"Your father's here," Damian said as he pulled Danny's arm and tried to drag him out of bed. Danny grumbled again before slipping through Damian's hand and underneath the bed. "That's mature."

"I don't wanna," Danny said as he rolled out from under it. "I really don't."

"I can't help you there," Damian said crossing his arms and watching Danny stand up. "But he brought food." Danny sighed as he stretched out. Damian walked up to him and gently pulled him in for a kiss. "I'll be right beside you the entire time."

"Thanks," Danny whispered kissing him again.

* * *

Jack sat down at the bar stool and looked over at the portal. Danny had clearly been going over the wiring and schematics for it. Jack hoped that Danny didn't let this control him and that he tried to have a somewhat normal life. Even if he did show up in the Gotham Times at times with Batman.

Jack couldn't be prouder of his son. He was a superhero who worked with Batman and Robin on a daily. He always knew that Danny was special and would change the world.

"Dad," Danny greeted as he leaned against the wall of the hallway. Jack turned to him with a smile.

"Danny-boy," Jack smiled as he stood up and started walking towards him only for Danny to take a step back. Damian gently pushed Danny forward instead making Danny tense. Jack stopped. "It's been a while."

"I'm aware," Danny said as he looked up at his father. "The last time I seen you was when you and Maddie decided to use me as an experiment."

"I'm so sorry," Jack whispered feeling like this wasn't going to go well. "If I had known…"

"Maddie did," Danny reminded with a sharp glare, and Jack watched as his son's baby blue eyes turned toxic green. "She knew when she strapped me to that table." The air turned cold as Damian grabbed Danny's arm.

"Danny," he whispered calming the hybrid down. Danny closed his eyes and felt his powers retreat back into his core.

"I'm sorry. Amanda said that you needed my help with the portal," Jack said as he backed away. He had no idea what Danny had gotten into, but he hoped that whatever it was, his son would be okay.

"Yeah, we think that the Guys in White are trying to start a war with the Ghost Zone," Danny explained as he walked over to the portal. "I've moved the switch to turn it on to the outside, but I'm not sure why it's not working still."

"We used an ectoplasmtic source to funnel the electricity when it came on," Jack informed as he looked over what Danny had. "We never really were sure if it would work or not at first, so the portal needed at least twenty-four hours to charge before it was turned on."

"That would make sense," Danny agreed as he looked over the lists as well. "I wasn't sure how the portal was working at first. Just that it hurt."

"We left it plugged in for about a day before your accident," Jack said as he looked over to his son. "So, it should come on after that."

"Thanks," Danny whispered as he stared at the portal. "You really shouldn't have had to come all the way here to tell me that."

"I just wanted to see you. It's been a long time," Jack smiled at him. "You've done good for yourself."

"No thanks to any of you," Danny growled crossing his arms. Jack looked down at the ground. Damian gently pulled Danny to the side.

"I think you should take it easy. He's at least trying to make it better," Damian whispered as he carefully pulled one of Danny's hands to him and held it. He pressed his lips to it. "At least give him a chance, not all of it is his fault."

"Fine," Danny muttered. "So what does Amanda have you work on?"

"I find the possible Guys in White bases," Jack answered with a small smile. Danny turned to him looking surprised. He knew that his father worked for her, but he didn't ask what he did. He didn't what to know. "I tell her where they are, and she sends in a team to take care of them. They've been short staffed and running for a year now. They don't have much pull."

"They were still able to run guns here in Gotham though," Damian said looking at Jack. "How would they be able to do that without having an operation here?"

"They did at one point, and they kept it moving," Jack sighed. "It's been the hardest one to track down, and I think they've been trying to stay out of your path."

"Good, they're afraid," Damian grinned. "Then they should be easy to defeat if we could find them." Danny looked over to the portal.

"They're not the ones I'm worried about."

* * *

"Is it set up?" Joker asked as he danced around the empty stage. Maddie looked up from under the stairs with a glare.

"Yes, all we need is our audience," Maddie smiled as she turned the timer on. "Has the concert been moved?"

"Of course, no one wants their concert in a flooded theater," Joker laughed as he jumped down and looked around careful of any watching eyes.

* * *

"Are you guys busy tonight?" Jack asked as he plugged in the portal after having helped get the rest of it set up. Danny looked over to Damian.

"We're on patrol tonight with Batman," Damian answered knowing that Danny didn't want to stay with his father much longer. "We'll be gone most of the night."

"Wait, we?" Jack asked looking at Damian with confusion before it dawned on him that the kid was also Robin. "So you're…"

"Robin, yes," Damian confirmed watching the man carefully. "And you do anything to hurt Danny more than you already have, I will end you and no one will ever know." Jack swallowed and looked away. There was so much that needed to be fixed, and he wasn't sure if he could ever do it.

"Who else is going to be out there?" Danny asked as he set up a thermos on the counter. Damian straightened up and smiled at his boyfriend.

"Just Batman," he answered knowing that he needed to keep his father's identity secret still. "So we won't have to play hide and seek from everyone else."

"Nothing would get done that way, but it is more fun," Danny smiled as he pulled out lunch meat from the fridge.

* * *

"Phantom, report," Batman demanded over the comlink. Robin looked over to Phantom who was sitting on a gargoyle overlooking the park.

"Everything's clear so far," Phantom responded closing his eyes. Robin jumped up behind Phantom and wrapped his arms around him.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked softly feeling cold seep into his being.

"Not really. I'm not comfortable with my father being here in Gotham with me," Phantom confessed. "I shouldn't have left him."

"Tim's watching him," Robin said as he gently pressed his lips to the back of Phantom's neck. "It's not just that though is it?"

"It's everything," Phantom sighed leaning back against Robin. "Like, something's coming, and I'm not sure what to do about it. It's just too much all at once, but I can't stop."

"I'll be right next to you," Robin promised as he backed up slightly and kept his balance. He gently pulled Phantom around to face him. "I promise. You're not fighting alone."

"Thanks," Phantom whispered leaning forward and kissing him. "That means a lot."

* * *

"Is everything set?" Joker asked watching as the people started to file into the concert halls. Maddie grinned.

"Of course it is, now we wait till they're full, and we'll be in control," Maddie said as she gently ran her hand over the trigger. Soon she would get her revenge.

* * *

"There's something going on at the Gotham Concert Hall," Batman said over the comlink. "I'm heading there now, but you're closer."

"On it," Robin confirmed as he grappled over to another building and watched as Phantom simply flew across the road and landed next to him. "We're heading to the concert hall."

"That sounds awesome."

* * *

"Lawton, I have a job for you," Amanda said as she stared at him in his cell. Lawton looked up at her with a smile.

"Another mission, so soon? Do I have a team?"

"Not at the moment, for now, it's just you. I don't trust my staff at the moment," she said as she watched him carefully. He was the more trust worthy convict she had at the moment. Especially since she's not sure who worked with the Guys in White beforehand. She had a feeling that more than Agent K was in her organization. They've hired a lot in the past year.

"Sounds like something big happened," Lawton smiled. "Guess I don't get a good briefing of what's going on?"

"No, I just need you to track someone and quite possibly put a bullet in their head. It'll take two years off your sentence," Amanda promised with a smile. Lawton looked at her for a moment before nodding his head.

"Alright, who's the target?"

"Vlad Masters."

* * *

_"Dad?" Maddie asked seeing her father walk into her house. She couldn't believe after all this time, he decided to show up to her perfect family and life._

_"Hey, sweetie," he smiled, and she shivered. She knew what that meant back at home. The pain that smiled created. "How have you been?"_

_"Great without you," she growled. She hunted ghosts. She shouldn't be afraid of him any longer._

_But she was, and she always would be._


	11. Laugh A Good One

_Laceration_

_Chapter Ten_

_Laugh A Good One_

_“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”_

_-Mahatma Gandi-_

* * *

 

               “Alright, he said that something was going down?” Robin asked looking at Phantom in confusion.

               “That concert moving closer to the election celebration is a little weird,” Phantom said with a shrug. “Maybe that’s what he wanted us to check out?”

               “Maybe,” Robin whispered looking around. He had a feeling that something was going to happen. He didn’t like it and kept close to Danny. He wasn’t leaving his boyfriend alone till whatever was going on was over.

* * *

               “Sir, why didn’t you just tell them that Ms. Fenton was spotted there?” Alfred asked over the comlink. Batman glared at it as he drove across the bridge towards the Concert Hall.

               “Because Danny remembers, but he might not be ready to confront her. But if her and Joker are working together, then I’m going to need all the help I can get,” Batman said as he passed cars along the street before driving down an ally way and pulling up to the concert hall. “I don’t want to push him too far.”

               “He’s grown on you,” Alfred smiled. “You like him.”

               “That’s because he’s easy to get along with and actually listens when ordered to do something. Unless some of the others.”

* * *

               “And here goes the house,” Joker grinned as Maddie pressed the button. Gas quickly filled the air making people cough and tried to run towards the exits.

               “And here comes the Bat,” Maddie grinned as she pulled up her hood. She now wore a black hazmat suit with red trimmings. She wasn’t going to let her revenge be stopped by some nut in a bat costume.

* * *

               “What the hell is that?” Phantom asked with wide eyes as the gas quickly filled the room. Robin pulled out a gas mask and placed one over Phantom’s face making him flinch away before looking over and seeing one already over Robin’s.

               “Gas is starting to affect the people, we have to stop it,” Robin said as he pointed at the strongest point where he believed the device to be. “Can you get an opening and clear the air?”

               “Yeah,” Phantom whispered flying down and landing near the door where people were pushing to get past. He pushed against the door and made it intangible making it easier for the people to leave. He could see that some of them were laughing.

               This wasn’t good.

               Robin landed next to the device and looked it over before knowing almost right away that there was something familiar about the device.

               He’d been working with this technology for over a year now.

               “Damnit,” Robin muttered looking over as a woman in black landed behind him and kicked his feet from under him. He flipped upright before ducking to the side and punching her side making her twist.

               “You allowed a murdered to go free,” Maddie growled as she pulled out her bo-staff that glowed red. “And now you and everyone else are going to pay for it.”

               “You’re still deluded that he’s even dead,” Robin said as he dodged the staff. Maddie twisted around it and kicked at him only for him to catch her foot and flip her to the ground. Robin pulled his sword and pointed it at her throat. “I think it’s time you go back to Arkham.”

               “Well, that would just suck the fun out of everything wouldn’t it,” a voice said behind him. Robin turned only to be hit hard with a bat. Robin rubbed his chin and looked up into the eyes of the Joker as Maddie stood back up. “Now, why isn’t Batsy here yet? I wanted to give him a hug.” Joker grinned before pulling the bat back and going after Robin again.

* * *

               Batman ran though the people that were streaming out of the building seamlessly. He knew why once he got close enough and could feel the cold coming from the building.

               “Phantom!” Batman called before coughing.

               “Mask!” Phantom called back as the last people ran though. Batman put his mask on before heading closer.

               “Where’s Robin?” Batman demanded as he passed though the wall. Phantom let it go and turned to the stage.

               “He ran up there towards where he thought the device was. He should have gotten it turned off by now,” Phantom realized as he and Batman started running that way. Phantom looked over to Batman who nodded, and Phantom vanished flying towards the stage faster than Batman.

* * *

               “You’re not going to get away with it,” Robin said as he dodged both of their attacks. He twisted around and kicked Maddie back before flipping away from the bat and hitting it with his sword.

               “But we already have,” Joker grinned as he pointed out to the few people who were still there on the ground with grins stretched across their face. “And it’s just not going to stop there.”

               “Yes it is,” Batman cut in as he jumped across the stage and kicked Joker into the wall next to him. Robin smirked as he faced Maddie.

               “Great,” Phantom muttered as he recognized the design. “At least I should be able to shut it down.” Phantom pulled a panel out and started pulling wires and reconnecting them. Suddenly a shield went up around him as the device started pulling the gas back to it. “Crap.”

               He gently reached out and touched it only to feel a sting run up his arm. A low level ghost shield with the only way out to change into his human form. He needed the place clear first. He looked over and seen Batman fighting Joker and someone else fighting Robin. It took him a moment to realize who it was.

               His mother was working with the Crazy Clown.

* * *

               Robin ducked down under Maddie’s bo-staff before kicking her feet from under her and hitting her in the head with her own staff. He pulled himself up and looked over towards the device and seen that Phantom was trapped in a shield. He turned and seen that Joker and Batman were still fighting, but Batman was holding his own.

               “Hang on, Phantom,” Robin whispered running towards him and going though the shield easily. “You could just…”

               “I know, but there are too many people,” Phantom whispered looking around. Robin gently touched Phantom’s back before turning towards the device. “If I try to disable the shield, the gas releases again. I’m not sure I could reverse it again without serious consequences.”

               “So we have to clear the place first,” Robin growled. They just had their strongest ally taken out of play far too quickly.

               “Robin, it’s okay. You’ve been doing this without me for a long time,” Phantom smiled. Robin glared at him.

               “It’s not me I’m worried about.”

               “I’ve been doing this for a long time before I met you?” Phantom corrected making Robin knock him in the arm. “I’ll be fine, go and take them down.”

* * *

               “Batsy, did you really let her son’s killer go?” Joker asked twisting the broken bat around and aiming it at Batman’s face.

               “Her son isn’t dead,” Batman said as he dodged and grabbed Joker’s hand and flipped him over his shoulder. “She’s just delusional like you.”

               “Are you saying I’m crazy?” Joker laughed before ducking down from a punch and trying to hit Batman’s side only for the man twist at the last minute and punch Joker in the face knocking him to the ground.  

               “You’re going back to Arkham,” Batman growled as he pulled out his cuffs and cuffed Joker. He looked up to see that Maddie hadn’t gotten up and that Robin was checking on the people on the ground.

               “The antidote isn’t working this time,” Robin called over seeing that Batman was done. Batman dug his knee into Joker’s back.

               “What did you do?” Batman demanded glaring at the clown. Joker laughed again.

               “Maddie changed my recipe. Such a sweet girl really,” Joker smiled as Batman lifted him up before slamming him back down to the ground. Joker felt the air leave him as black spots danced in his vision. There was no way he was going to move anytime soon.

* * *

               “The plans have been set in place. We have the information to trap the Ghost,” Onyx said as she pulled up a laptop and handed it to Heretic who looked over the information.            

               “Do we have the shield built yet?” he asked. He knew that this would be a delicate process and he knew that by the end, he would have everything he ever wanted.

               “It’s nearly done, and by the end of the week, we should have everything up and running for it.”

* * *

               “He’s still in Gotham,” Vlad said as he sipped his wine. “He’s still with Batman and Robin. I told you that they wouldn’t keep him there in the Watchtower.”

               _“Well, you’ve at least started something,”_ Plasmius sneered as he stood in front of the inactive portal. _“Why don’t you just try it now?”_

               “Because I don’t know the exact circumstances that ensured Daniel’s change,” Vlad growled turning to the ghost. “It might not work the way I need it to. I’m still running tests. If I don’t get it exactly right then all I’m going to end up doing is killing myself.” 

               _“Well we wouldn’t want that now would we,”_ Plasmius taunted as Vlad closed his eyes and grabbed a bottle of pills. He took one and Plasmius disappeared.

* * *

               Phantom paced the small space as police and crew were going though. EMTs were taking away the infected people while Robin and Batman stood close by.

               “We need another antidote,” Batman told Gordon. “Joker changed the formula with the help of Maddie Fenton.” Gordon looked over to where Phantom was trapped.

               “I take it he’s stuck here,” Gordon guessed as Phantom waved at him. Batman glared at Phantom who only smiled at him.

               “Yes, he can get out, but in order to do so, no one can be around,” Batman informed making Gordon look at him in worry. “Except Robin.” Gordon nodded figuring it was above his pay grade.

               “You’re going to…” Gordon stopped when he looked at where Batman was standing just a minute ago. Robin covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing. “He’s going to find an antidote then?”

               “Yes, I’m staying with Phantom,” Robin informed as he crossed his arms. Gordon nodded before he started going around and clearing the room. They didn’t want Phantom staying in one place for too long just in case there were any Ghost Hunters who decided that Gotham’s new ghost was a good place to jumpstart their careers.

* * *

_“Mads, are you okay?” Jack asked as he sat down next to his wife at the kitchen table._

_“I’m fine,” she mumbled as Jack pulled out a nearly full bottle of pills. She looked over at them and then back at him. “I don’t need them anymore.”_

_“Your father’s been dead for years, and now you’re telling me he’s back and staying in Amity Park,” Jack started. “You need to see the doctor.”_

_“Fine, I’ll take them,” Maddie growled grabbing the bottle and taking a pill. “Happy?”_

_“Only if you keep doing it, I didn’t realize that you’d stopped,” Jack said sternly._

_“That’s because I don’t need them. It’s pointless to keep taking them,” Maddie informed crossing her arms. Jack glared at her._

_“That’s because they were working, and now you’re seeing dead people.”_

_“We see dead people all the time. We live in Amity Park for crying out loud,” Maddie exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air._

_“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Jack pointed out. “I’ve already set an appointment up for tomorrow; you’re going to the doctor.”_

_“What would you tell the kids if I don’t come back?”_

_“They’re old enough to know the truth. They deserve to know.”_

* * *

“You’re telling me that Maddie had a hard time telling what was real and not sometimes?” Tim asked surprised.

               “Yes, when her father was alive, he would hit her and her mother. One day he hit her hard in the head. The doctors didn’t think that she would pull out of it, but she did,” Jack explained. “Sometimes she would space out till they gave her some kind of medicine that helped stop it. She hated being off of it, but I have no idea why she stopped. She was religious about taking it since she hated how out of reality she felt when she didn’t.”

               “I think I understand a bit more. Did Danny ever know?” Tim asked when he noticed how down Jack seemed about it.

“No, I wanted to tell the kids, but Maddie didn’t want them to know that she had problems. She hid everything in our bathroom,” Jack said as he closed his eyes. “I don’t think Danny ever knew about anything.”

* * *

               _“Oh my god, Danny,” Maddie whispered as she watched the tape over and over again. Her son_ changed _into Phantom. His entire form matched everything for Phantom, and this couldn’t be real._

_Her son couldn’t be dead. It had to be in her head. They weren’t working anymore._

* * *

               “Well, that was annoying,” Phantom grumbled as he leaned against a wall on a rooftop. Robin was pacing in front of him. He stopped when Phantom grabbed him. “How’d they escape?”

               “Dr. Strange,” Robin said looking at Phantom with worry. “I didn’t tell you…”

               “Because I couldn’t remember everything. That’s fine; it’s not a problem,” Phantom comforted as he gently caressed Robin’s face. “We took care of it now.”

               “Yeah, I guess,” Robin whispered, but he still held the feeling that there was something more going on than just what happened. “They’re heading back to Arkham. Your mother is going to be in the intensive treatment center with Joker and other inmates that have gone against Batman.”

               “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Phantom mumbled looking away. “She dug herself the hole when she decided to work with Joker.”

               _“Robin, Phantom, meet me at the hospital,”_ Batman interrupted over the comlink. Robin leaned forward and kissed Phantom. Phantom smiled into it.

* * *

               “We used the previous antidote, but nothing changed,” the doctor said as he walked into one of the rooms with a smiling congressman. “We can’t ease it. Even putting him to sleep isn’t working. He still has a grin.”

               “The gas was changed slightly and ectoplasm was added,” Batman said as he held up a file he made with the compounds and chemicals Joker used before and now. “Fenton added ectoplasm with the hope it would affect Phantom.”

               “Did it?” the doctor asked concerned. Phantom had come to the hospital many times and helped in the ER with his healing abilities, and the doctor did not want anything to happen to the ghost that saved so many lives.

               “No, Robin got a mask on him right when he realized that there was gas,” Batman informed as he looked at the congressman. “This was the revenge Fenton wanted. She wanted to hurt the people who she believed covered up her son’s murder.”

               “Did they?”

               “He’s not even dead.”

 

 


	12. Jumping Ship

Laceration

_Chapter Eleven_

_Jumping Ship_

_Set your course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship._

_-Omar N. Bradley-_

* * *

 

               Robin landed on the hospital roof with Phantom landing right next him. Batman opened the roof access door and watched the two.

               “What is it?” Robin asked seeing the upset line on Batman’s face. Batman looked over to Phantom who tensed slightly. He never liked Batman’s glare turned to him.

               “Your mother added ectoplasm to the gas. Had Robin not put the mask on you,” Batman trailed making Phantom swallow.

               “I would have been affected,” Phantom mumbled slightly disturbed. Robin was overprotective about him, and he often let Robin control missions just to give him a peace of mind. “There’s something else too then isn’t there?”

               “Yes, we have to make another antidote for the Joker Gas. He’s changed the formula so it would mix better,” Batman said.

               “You could try mixing your formula for the antidote with ectoplasm. Ectoplasm acts as opposites when added to real world elements,” Phantom suggested as Batman pulled his computer up. Phantom looked over the components before smiling slightly. “Yours might not need as much adjusting as you think. We can look at it back in my lab since its closer.”

               “Robin, stay here. Update us if anything changes,” Batman ordered before shooting his grapple and taking off towards Phantom’s lab. Robin glared at him before turning to Phantom.

               “I’ll be fine,” Phantom assured before kissing Robin and flying off.

               “You better be,” Robin mumbled before going to the door and entering the hospital.

* * *

 

“This should work,” Danny said as he added the bit of ectoplasm to the little bit of Batman’s antidote. It bubbled slightly before catching fire and ruining it. “Alright, maybe not. Chemistry wasn’t my best subject to be honest.”

               “I know it well,” Bruce said as he looked over what they had done. Something wasn’t adding up. Danny was right about his antidote being easy to manipulate, but it shouldn’t be smoking like that.

               “Maybe I’m adding too much?” Danny guessed looking at Bruce confused. “I mean…”

               “No, what you added was the same amount as the Joker had added to his. Theoretically it should do about the same unless the formula was changed entirely. Which when we looked at it,” Bruce trailed off watching as Danny put it together.

               “It hadn’t been, but ectoplasm bonds differently to certain things and not all ectoplasm is the same,” Danny smiled. “So maybe we just to figure where she got the ectoplasm? Find its opposite and see if that doesn’t work.”

               “Alright,” Bruce said as he pulled up the compound again and showed Danny the ectoplasm. “It looks like any other ectoplasm. Danny narrowed his eyes as they flashed green.

               “It’s not,” Danny whispered trying to place where he had seen that type before. “It looks like processed ectoplasm. The type that the Guys in White use. It’s highly refined. The glow isn’t as strong as it should be. It’s designed to hurt when used.”

               “What would be the opposite of that then?” Bruce asked watching Danny carefully. He knew Danny could see something that no one else could. Danny started searching though drawers as Bruce came up behind.

               “Pure,” Danny said as he pulled out a needle and syringe and held it out to Bruce. “And I only know one way to get it.” Danny pulled the rings up and changed when Bruce took the items. Bruce looked down at them and then back up at Phantom who had pulled off a glove.

               “I’m not taking ectoplasm from you,” Bruce protested.

               “It wouldn’t be necessary if my portal was working,” Phantom informed with a sad look in his eyes. “You said we were on a time constraint. It’s the only form of pure ectoplasm I can think of. Besides, I trust you.”

               Bruce looked at the syringe and needle. Phantom held a valid point, but the last time they stuck a needle in the hybrid, it did not go well.

* * *

 

               _“Damian!” Bruce called as he held Phantom down on the table. Damian scrambled across the lab with a sedative. Phantom had gone into a panic attack when one of the blasters activated and shot him across the room._

_“Hold on, Danny,” Damian said as he pulled one of Phantom’s arms away from him and carefully put the needle into his arm. Phantom screamed and pushed back both of them. Bruce and Damian both covered their ears as powerful waves came from Phantom. The entire lab shook before Phantom stopped and fell off the table. Bruce looked up and seen a light flash before everything became quiet._

_“Danny?”_

* * *

               “The last time…” Bruce stopped seeing the worry in Phantom’s eyes. Phantom was aware of his concern.

               “I know, but it might be the only way,” Phantom whispered with a small shrug. “I’m not panicking now either. I can keep it together, and we shouldn’t need much anyway.” Bruce gently reached for Phantom’s arm and tapped the crease of his elbow.

               “Alright,” Bruce whispered as he gently slipped the needle into the skin. Green liquid slowly started to fill the syringe and Bruce looked up to check on Phantom who had turned away from him.

               “Danny, talk to me,” Bruce said as he stopped and slowly pulled the needle away.

               “I’m alright, just a little light headed,” Phantom smiled at him before tugging his glove back on and changing back. The needle mark was already healed and Danny took in a deep breath. “I’ll be okay.”

               “Good,” Bruce said as he looked at the glowing green liquid. There was a slight trace of red in it, and he was concerned that it would compromise the sample. “This does have blood in it.”

               “Really?” Danny asked looking it over. “I didn’t think…I mean, my ghost half and human half don’t mix…”

               “It’s separating here, so I should be able to use it,” Bruce cut him off. Danny looked highly concerned about the fact that he had traces of blood in his ectoplasm. “Right now, let’s worry about those people in the hospital.”

* * *

 

               “So, Valerie,” Hood started as he watched her pace across the roof. “What’s next since you seem pretty dead set on finding Masters?”

               “Amanda gave me orders to find the two Guys in White bases here in Gotham,” Valerie informed looking at him. “I mean, it’s not much, but I have a feeling that Vlad might be here too.”

               “What makes you say that?” Hood asked before noticing the red in Valerie’s eyes.

               “He always has a backup plan,” she growled before firing at him.

               “I told you this would work,” Heretic said as he watched the Red Huntress and Red Hood fight on the roof.

* * *

 

               _“You are only delaying them. We need to take him out, and then anyone who has been helping that freak,”_ a female voice said over the speaker. Heretic growled lowly.

               “And it will come in time, but we must be patient. You taught me that.” He heard her take in a deep breath.

               _“Yes, but sometimes, my dear, we must move quickly.”_

               “As long as they believe that Masters is behind this attack, then we will still have the element of surprise.”

               _“Good.”_

* * *

 

               “Phantom?” Robin asked seeing the ghost reserved and following behind Batman quietly. Phantom looked up at him with a small smile before getting a glimpse of the lightly glowing liquid in Batman’s hands.

               “Doctor,” Batman greeted as the doctor from before came out of the room. He smiled at Batman before looking at the vial in his hand in confusion.

               “Is that?” the doctor began to ask only for the Dark Knight to nod at him.   

               “Yes, we tested it and believe it should counteract the Joker Gas. It shouldn’t take much,” Batman said as he walked into one of the rooms. Robin grabbed Phantom to prevent him from following.

               “What did he do to you?” Robin demanded quietly. He knew something was wrong with his boyfriend the moment he seen him.

               “Nothing. I sorta did it to myself, but it was the only way,” Phantom whispered looking away. “We needed pure ectoplasm, and…there was only one way to get it.”

               “Danny,” Robin hissed quietly and pulled him to the side away from prying eyes. “What the hell did you do?”

               “I’m the only source of pure ectoplasm until we get the portal up and running again,” Phantom defended himself before wrapping his arms around Robin. “I’m okay. It wasn’t really that…just what we found after.”

               “What?”

               “Later, not here,” Phantom whispered in his ear before kissing him. “It’s a little weird.”

               “Fine,” Robin surrendered knowing that Phantom would tell him eventually. Even if he had to tie him down to get what he wanted.

* * *

 

               Hood jumped to the side before ducking under Valerie’s board and pulling at a loose wire and causing the device to go down to the street. Valerie jumped off before shooting at him again. He ducked and jumped over the ledge and started heading towards Wayne Tower. He couldn’t keep this up much longer, and he didn’t want to hurt her.

               Although it might be the only way to get her to slow down. Whatever it was the Masters did to her made her determined to hunt him now, and he wasn’t going to let that go very easily.

               The next time he seen that man, he was putting a bullet in his head.

* * *

 

               Vlad compared the readings to that of what he had stolen from the Fentons. Everything was almost the same.

               “This should work,” Vlad mumbled as he turned to the portal when a shot came out of nowhere. He ducked down and hid behind his desk.

               “Whatever it is that you think you’re doing, it ends now. Waller says hi by the way,” a voice called though the room. “Come out, come out, wherever you are, you piece of shit.”

               “I can pay you,” Vlad offered. He had nothing till he got his powers.

               “Yeah, sounds cool,” the voice taunted before more shots flew though the air and Vlad closed his eyes.

               _“This wouldn’t be happening if you had just done this sooner instead of trying to get Daniel to work for you, but noooo, you just wanted to be completely alive again,”_ Plasmius taunted as he stood in front of Vlad and crossed his arms. Vlad closed his eyes.

               He couldn’t believe the monster he let himself turn into. He hurt a young boy and put him through hell. He lied and ruined a child’s life for his own personal gain. He was a fool. Vlad looked around the corner and seen a man dressed in grey and red. He was wearing a mask and had guns attached to his arms. He was pointing them at the desk.

               “Look, you work for Waller, I’ll come in peacefully, just stop please,” Vlad begged. He could his ghost half laugh at him.

               _What have I done?_ Vlad thought as he put his hands up and surrendered to the manic with the gun.

* * *

 

               Hood ducked down and jumped over the ledge and caught himself on the fire escape before letting go and landing on the street. He looked up and sighed when he realized he lost her somewhere near Wayne Tower when he had hoped that Bruce or Damian or anyone was there to help him.

               He looked around the corner and ducked back in when he watched Valerie storm down the street.

               “Come out, come out, Red Hood,” she called out as she looked around. Jason took his helmet off and flipped his jacket inside out before zipping it shut and letting his helmet shrink to fit in his pocket. He walked out and started walking towards her. He passed her and knew that she had no idea who he was. He let out a sigh as he walked on and headed towards Wayne Tower again. He needed back up and fast.

* * *

 

               “It’s working,” Doctor said as he smiled at Batman. “Thank you. We have no idea how to deal with ectoplasm. It’s such an odd thing to use for starters, but we’re glad you knew.”

               “It was Phantom who did the most,” Batman confessed with a slight smirk. “He knows more about it than anyone else.”

               “He is a ghost,” Doctor agreed, but the look Batman shot him made him think that Phantom was so much more than that. Batman turned to Phantom and Robin who were still waiting outside the room.

               “Let’s go, we have some more work to do,” Batman ordered as they started down the hallway. Robin grabbed Phantom’s hand and held tightly.

               “So, you’re saying that your human half and ghost half are mixing?” Damian asked crossing his arms and looking over the screen in the lab.

               “I think that it’s always been like this, honestly. I just never looked too deep in it,” Danny admitted before looking up at Damian. “I couldn’t really look into it before since…”

               “Since the lab,” Damian finished for him before walking forward and pulling Danny into a hug. “You want to learn more now though, don’t you?” Damian felt a small shiver run down Danny’s spine.

               “I…yeah, I want to know more. But…I’m not sure how well I could…hold up,” Danny muttered into Damian’s neck. Damian gently ran his fingers across the base of Danny’s neck.

               “I’ll always be here next to you if you need me,” Damian promised into Danny’s ear. Danny smiled. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”

               “Not with you,” Danny whispered feeling safe. “I’ve always felt safe with you.”

* * *

 

               _“Danny, are you awake?” Damian asked as he shook the hybrid. Danny blinked up at him with wide green eyes. “What’s wrong?” Danny blinked again as his eyes faded back to blue._

_“Just a nightmare,” Danny whispered wrapping his arms around himself._

_“The lab again?”_

_“Yeah.”_

               _“Do you want to talk about it?”_

_“Honestly, no, but there’s some things you should know if we’re going to continue whatever this is.”_

_“Well, I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”_

 

 


	13. Open Skies

_Laceration_

_Chapter Twelve_

_Open Skies_

_The Blood of the Covenant is thicker than the Water of the Womb_

* * *

 

               “We have the trap ready,” Heretic said as he looked over to his master. “All we need is your command.”

               “Good, soon my son will be by my side, and that freak will be dealt with,” Talia growled glaring at a picture on the screen of Phantom flying next to Robin. “And if played well, my beloved will be at my side as well.”

* * *

               “Waller,” Deadshot said glaring at his boss. She smiled at him and then glared down at Vlad who was sitting tied to a chair.

               “Good job, Lawton. To be honest, I thought you would have just put a bullet in him,” Amanda laughed seeing the startled look in Vlad’s eye. Clearly the man hasn’t really played the mortality game for very long.

               “He surrendered, and you said you wanted him alive if it was possible,” Deadshot shrugged before staring down at him. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me why you went to all the trouble of sending me in.”

               “There’s a kid I want to keep on my payroll, and let’s just say, Vladdie here has been in the way,” Amanda grinned as she pulled out a blade. “I do really like the kid. He’s the most honest person I’ve ever dealt with and it’s a little redeeming.”

               “Man, I don’t know what you did to piss her off, but I would apologize and hope she doesn’t kill you,” Deadshot suggested as Amanda walked around Vlad and into his blind spot.

               “Oh, he’s dead either way,” Amanda informed making Vlad look off to the side hoping to follow her. Instead, Plasmius was leaning a wall with a wicked grin.

               _“You’re in a pickle now. You should have done it sooner,”_ Plasmius taunted. Vlad closed his eyes. He knew that he deserved whatever was going to happen. Plasmius disappeared.

* * *

               “Damn,” Jason muttered turning a corner and finding Phantom’s Lab again. “I sure as hell hope you’re here, Ghostboy. Cause you might be the only one who can stop her.” Jason looked back and seen cops fly by. He knew that she was making a scene. He picked the lock and opened the door. The lights came on as he walked in and shut the door quickly.

               “Danny? Damian?” Jason called out hoping for an answer. He walked over to the comlink Batman set up to get better signal though the city and turned it on. “Hello, is anyone wearing their link at the moment?”

               _“What is it, Jason?”_ Bruce came over sounding highly irritated. Jason smirked.

               “Do you know where Ghostboy is?”

               _“He’s with Robin.”_

“Cool, his ex is currently running around the streets of Gotham trying to kill me.”

               _“What’d you do?”_ Jason sputtered slightly at Bruce’s response.

               “I’ll have you know, I did nothing to her. She just went crazy.”

               _“Where are you?”_

“The lab. Kinda had to go civilian in order to avoid her by the way. Danny might be the only one who knows about her armor to stop her.”

               _“I’ll send them.”_ Bruce cut the connection making Jason sigh and lean against the chair he was in.

               “Great, I’ll just chill here till then,” he mumbled under his breath slightly annoyed and glad that he wouldn’t have to deal with it by himself. He did not want to hurt her, but all he had were his guns and no knowledge on what all her armor could do.

* * *

  _“Robin, Phantom, Jason is being hunted by Valerie.”_

“What’d he do?” Phantom asked making Robin hide a grin behind his hand as they raced across the roof.

               _”He thinks someone might be controlling her.”_

“Masters?”  Phantom questioned as he stopped. Robin paused before jumping off the roof. He turned to see Phantom’s worried expression.

               _“Not sure, so check it out.”_

               “Alright,” Phantom confirmed before running up to Robin and grabbing him before flying off.

               “A little warning next time,” Robin mumbled crossing his arms. Phantom looked at him with a small smile before diving down and heading towards his lab where Bruce has told them that Jason was hiding.

* * *

               Jason pulled his helmet back on and listened carefully. Phantom should be getting close soon, and he wanted to help the best he could. He pulled out some of his rubber bullets and loaded his gun before hearing the door open and close. He stood up and looked over to see Robin walked towards another door.

               “Where’s the ghost?” Jason asked as he grabbed his helmet and walked over.

               “He was attacked by Valerie on our way here,” Robin grumbled. “He told me to come get you and that he could handle her.”

               “So we help him then,” Jason said as he put his helmet on and cocked his gun. “I’m ready.”

               “We’re leading her to a trap, over to the docks. Phantom is on his way there now,” Robin informed as he grabbed one of the portable shields that Danny designed.

* * *

               _“So this can trap ghosts and people?” Bruce asked as he picked up the device. It was a clever little thing, and something he never really thought he could make. He had tried before, but without success. However, Danny added his ghost tech to it, which somehow made it into a type of shield more than a cage or net._

_“Yeah, it was a little tricky, but Damian wanted something that could keep someone contained for longer than a few minutes,” Danny said as he rolled up his blueprints for the device. “I figured maybe you would want to look at it too for the same reason?”_

_“It would be useful when the bad guy has a knife that can cut though the net, or explode it,” Bruce mused. Danny’s design would give but not break. In theory at least._

_“Yeah, that’s what Dami said,” Danny laughed._

_“Dami?” Bruce asked with a small smile. Danny’s cheeks reddened before he took off to the back where the printer was to make copies. Bruce just laughed lightly. He wasn’t going to lie; the kid was growing on him._

* * *

“Valerie, what’s wrong?” Phantom asked as he came up closer to her. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot. Phantom dodged one of her blasts before shooting off. Valerie followed, and Phantom ensured he was ahead enough that she couldn’t shoot, but close enough that she would continue the pursuit. He seen the docks coming up and he dived down towards the street before shooting though an ally quickly.

               It slowed her down just enough for him to double back and listen hoping that Robin would be quick. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep this up.

               “Alright so where are…” Hood cut off as Phantom was shot in front of them. Phantom landed on the ground and groaned.

               “Phantom!” Robin called and ran to him. Hood looked up at Valerie who aimed at them. Hood pulled out one of his guns and fired forcing her down closer to the ground and away from them.

               “I’ll keep her distracted, you get him somewhere safer,” Hood ordered pinning Valerie behind a shipping container. Robin pulled Phantom up and headed for another pathway between the containers.

               “Come on, Danny, wake up,” Robin muttered as he gently shook his boyfriend’s shoulder. Phantom grumbled something before blinking his eyes open.

               “She’s under someone’s control. I don’t think its Vlad,” Phantom whispered as he pulled himself together and looked around the corner where Hood was taking cover behind a container and keeping fire on Valerie.

               “Here, I have enough for everyone to use,” Robin said as he handed Phantom one of the portal shields. “Hood already has a couple.” Phantom nodded before standing up. He nearly fell again when Robin caught him and put one of his arms around his shoulders.

               “Damnit, I forgot about the damage her weapons do now,” Phantom mumbled feeling sluggish.

               “Danny, what do they do?” Robin asked concerned. He knew all the effects of Danny’s weapons and devices. “Danny!”

               “They…paralyze and disrupt the flow of ectoplasm,” Phantom got out before nearly collapsing again. Robin held him tightly. “It’s not my design, ARGUS had their own and had some from the Guys in White…This was…from the…shit.”

               “It’s alright,” Robin whispered as he gently leaned Phantom against the container and looked over. “I’m going to help Hood, then I’ll be back for you.”

               “Her armor isn’t bulletproof. But her sled is the weakest point. She relies on it far too much,” Phantom informed as he squeezed his eyes shut and took in a deep breath. Robin nodded before jumping up on the container and throwing a batarang at her knocking her weapon out of her hand.

               This needed to be ended quickly.

* * *

               Clockwork watched the ending again knowing that there wasn’t a lot he could do to change it. He was glad that Daniel had found a place to call home after the destruction of his life, but now something big was coming, and it would either build or destroy Phantom.

               “I’m so sorry, Danny, I wish this didn’t have to come,” Clockwork whispered as he stared into his screen.

               Phantom on his knees, ectoplasm running down his face as Damian stood over him with bloodshot eyes and a sword to his throat.

               _“I never loved you.”_

* * *

“Robin, down low!” Hood called out as he shot at a point on Val’s hover board that caused it to start smoking. Robin grinned as he ran down the container and jumped. He landed on Valerie’s back and forced her closer to the ground where Robin back flipped off of her and Hood tackled her off the board. They tumbled to the ground where Hood quickly rolled away from her as Robin threw the portal shield at her and trapped her.

               “Damn, where’s Phantom?” Hood asked as he took a breath and looked over where a bright light appeared suddenly. “Look, I’ve got her, he needs you.” Robin nodded before running over to where Danny was laying on the ground, barely breathing. Ectoplasm was leaking out of his mouth.

               “Danny,” Robin whispered kneeling down and pulling Danny’s head into his lap. Danny blinked up at him with a small smile.

               “I’m okay, I think,” Danny muttered as he tried to sit up. Robin gently rested his hand on Danny’s chest.

               “No, you’re not, and you’re coming with us to the cave,” Robin said looking up at Hood. Robin put his finger on his comlink. “Robin to Batman, I need a medical transport to the cave. Danny’s hurt.”

               _“I’ll be there in a couple minutes.”_

* * *

“What happened?” Alfred asked as he pulled his supplies together. Bruce opened up the computer and started looking for internal injuries.

               “He was shot by a weapon designed to paralyze ectoplasm,” Damian informed as he looked over the information that was going across the screen. “Wait, if it…wouldn’t it shut down the core?”

               “Yes, that’s what this is designed to do,” Bruce agreed looking over the readings knowing where Damian might be taking it. “But we can’t risk starting it again until the effects wear off.”

               “Danny’s not a normal ghost,” Damian whispered as he stopped one of the readings. “His heart rate is dropping too. Both sides of him need the ectoplasm to flow.” Bruce narrowed his eyes at it before turning to look back at Danny who was wheezing on their table.

               “We need to stabilize both,” Bruce said looking at Damian. “He’s not gonna like this.” Damian looked over to him.

               “As long as he’s alive, he can get over it,” Damian muttered as Bruce pulled out a syringe and a bottle full of glowing green. “Besides, I’m here; I can talk him down when he panics.” Alfred looked at them sadly before strapping Danny down to the table and looking away. Danny’s screams were always the worst.

* * *

               _Danny felt the needle piece his skin as liquid fire shot up his arm. He felt himself try to scream, but the rope shoved in his mouth prevented such things from being any louder than a mumble. He was tired. He just wanted it all to stop._

* * *

Damian held down Danny’s shoulders as he struggled against the bonds wrapped around him. Bruce was holding on to his arm and slipped the needle under the skin. Danny screamed, and Damian knew that if he had any sort of access to his powers, the place would be coming down.

               “Come on, Danny,” Damian whispered feeling tears gather in his eyes. He refused to cry in front of anyone but Danny though. He blinked them away and tightened his hold. “You’re okay. It’s okay.”

               “It’s in,” Bruce whispered as he backed away. He watched his son fight to let Danny go after he stopped struggling.

* * *

               _“So, ectoplasm can take on another form if they’re mixed?” Fox asked looking at Danny who was staring into a microscope._

_“Basically, there are dominant parts in ectoplasm. Pure ectoplasm will take hold the strongest, but when it’s diluted it’ll act as a catalyst. It’ll form to ectoplasm that’s not…” Danny stopped and looked at him. “I’m really not sure how to put it.”_

_“It’s basically jumpstarts inactive ectoplasm, if I’m reading this right,” Fox smiled as Danny turned to him._

_“Yes. I just didn’t know how to put it in words,” Danny said as he typed on his computer. Fox looked over the notes before he slipped the page he was looking at from it. Danny didn’t need to know that Bruce wanted that information in case anything happened to him._

* * *

“How’s he doing?” Jason asked leaning against the Batmobile. Bruce looked over to where Alfred was looking over the stats while Damian was sitting next to Danny.

               “We’re not sure. If he was in his ghost form, we might have more of an idea what is going on,” Bruce sighed before leaning against the car as well.

               “Well, he took one hell of a hit, stupid fucker,” Jason laughed as he looked over to them. The smile slipped off his face. “He’s gonna be okay though?”

               “I hope so,” Bruce whispered.

* * *

               “Did you get the device?” Talia asked as she walked up to Heretic.

               “Yes, it was easy to break in,” he informed holding up the small device. “With this, you can finally get what you want.”

 

 


	14. Fate'sLanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am truly sorry for this chapter.  
> I couldn't find my mouse and therefore could not update....hee  
> But I'm sorry for the way this went. I still have few chapters left before the end....I just need to write the middle.

Laceration

Chapter Thirteen

_Fate’s Landing_

_Actions are the seed of fate deeds grow into destiny._

_Harry S Truman_

* * *

 

“Damian?” Danny whispered seeing him laying next to him on a hospital bed. Damian shifted lightly and Danny could tell he wasn’t far from just falling off the bed. Danny smiled before looking around and realizing that he was in the medical wing of the cave.

               “Oh good, you’re awake. We were worried, Danny,” Alfred smiled at the hybrid.

               “Yeah, I can tell,” Danny said as he motioned to Damian who was curled on his side against Danny. Alfred nodded.

               “How are you feeling?” Alfred asked as he looked over the stats now. Everything seemed normal, or at least normal for Danny.

               “A little thirsty to be honest. I think Damian made my arm numb,” Danny informed as he looked down at his boyfriend and gently put a kiss on his head.

               “I’ll let Master Bruce know you are awake,” Alfred said as he walked out.

* * *

               _“Master Daniel?” Alfred greeted seeing Danny at the door. He stopped when he seen the tension in Danny’s shoulder._

_“Please just call me Danny,” he asked looking at the old butler. Alfred could see the near panic in his eyes and nodded._

_“Very well, Danny,” Alfred agreed as Danny closed his eyes tightly. Alfred wondered what had happened, but they were warned about the panic attacks. Damian had told them to tread lightly around Danny at first for now, and to do whatever it was that he asked them to._

* * *

               “Dami,” Danny whispered as he gently tried to pull his arm out from under Damian. Damian groaned lightly before tightening his hold. “Ow, Dami, I need you to let me go.”

               “Never,” Damian muttered. Danny huffed out a laugh.

               “I would like to feel my arm before it falls off,” Danny said as he tried again. Damian released him only to wrap himself around Danny’s chest. “Alright, that’s fair.”

               “I’m not letting you go,” Damian mumbled into Danny’s chest. Danny pulled his arm up and fisted his hand hoping to get the blood flowing again.

               “Yeah, okay,” Danny laughed as the pins and needles started. Alfred walked in seeing them with a bored expression. He’s found them in worse positions.

               “I brought some water and tea for when Master Damian wakes up,” Alfred said as he set the tray down next to the bed close enough for Danny to reach.

               “Thank you.”

               “You’re welcome.”

* * *

               “Oh no,” Tim mumbled seeing the trashed lab. Jason stood next to him with a glare.

               “Valerie was a distraction to get us away from here,” Jason grumbled crossing his arms. “Now she’s gone, and the lab’s destroyed.”

               “We should tell…” Tim started before the feeling that someone was behind kicked in.

               “I know,” Bruce said as he walked in. “I don’t know what they took, but they set off the sensor I had placed.”

               “You were monitoring them?” Jason asked with a glare.

               “No, it’s a security measure. One that Danny’s ecto-signature will turn off when he’s here. Damian knows the code to turn it off as well,” Bruce informed as he pulled out a picture. “You two will set it off sometimes before the facial recognition will disarm it.”

               “So they know about it,” Tim mumbled crossing his arms.

               “We should look at the footage, see who it was,” Bruce said as he got on the computer. He narrowed his eyes at the crack that ran across the screen. “We’ll have to do it in the Cave.”

* * *

               “Easy,” Damian whispered as he helped Danny walk. Danny stumbled slightly before Damian grabbed his arm and put it over his shoulder. “Here, I’ll help.”

               “Okay,” Danny muttered feeling light headed. Damian slowly walked with him before sitting him down on a chair. “Yeah, ow.”

               “Your chest is pretty bruised. Usually your injuries don’t carry over,” Damian said as he looked at Danny concerned.       

               “If not created by ghost weapons, then yeah, my ghost form heals them faster. Ghost weapons can sometimes have a bad effect on how I heal since my body still contains my human half,” Danny explained looking at Damian. “Where is she?”

               “We’re not sure,” Bruce interrupted making Danny jump. Damian hid a smile. Bruce was probably the only one able to still get the jump on Danny.

               “Did she get away? I didn’t think she would just…” Danny trailed off seeing something else that Bruce wanted to say.

               “Someone broke into your lab while you were unconscious,” Bruce informed as he pulled up the images from the robbery. Damian looked over them on the computer there as Bruce pulled out a handheld for Danny. “They stole your portable ghost shield, and they took Valerie. We believe they may have been the ones controlling her.”

               “But how?” Danny asked looking over at Bruce. “When could they have gotten close enough to her?”

               “You said that the Guys in White were still working for Masters when you were captured, correct?” Bruce asked as he kneeled down next to Danny.

               “Yeah, they were there,” Danny answered blinking and looking down at his lap.

               “They had to get funding from somewhere else. Vlad’s assets are frozen,” Bruce said as he pulled up the compound info from where they found Danny. Danny looked it over before something stood out to him.

               “You think she would?” Danny asked. “I didn’t think she would want to work…”

               “Who?” Damian asked from across the room. Danny looked up at him with concern.

               “Your mother.”

* * *

               “Is everything now in place?” Heretic asked as he looked over the edge of the bridge. Onyx nodded before disappearing into the shadows. “Soon we will have captured the ghost, and Mother will reward me.” Onyx looked at him sadly.

               She knew that Talia didn’t truly care about anyone.

* * *

               “Talia started funding the Guys in White in hopes of getting to you,” Bruce said looking at Danny. Damian sat next to Danny feeling like it was his fault that Danny was in this mess.

               “She wants me dead because I’m half ghost,” Danny muttered looking at Damian. “Or because we’re together?”

               “Probably both,” Bruce guessed. “Doesn’t matter, she’s not getting you. I’m benching both of you until we find her.”

               “Father!” Damian started only for Danny’s hand to pull him back.

               “Damian, he has a point, and I’m in no condition to fight away,” Danny said before a small smile appeared. “Besides, I’m going to need help getting around for the time being until the bruises heal a little more.” Damian sat back and glared at the ground. He hated being benched.

* * *

               “Father believed getting a new apartment in Blüdhaven would be best,” Damian said as he unlocked the door and opened it. “Although we haven’t moved anything from our last place yet, we do have the necessities.”

               “Like a bed?” Danny asked making Damian turn to him with a finger pointed in his direction.

               “You’re not getting any till we’re no longer benched,” Damian warned. Danny smiled.

               “I still get to cuddle though, right?” Danny asked as he slowly walked in. Damian shut the door quietly behind them. “I mean, that’s still okay.”

               “Fine, but nothing further,” Damian agreed as he helped Danny ease down on the couch. “How are you doing?”

               “My ghost half kinda feels like it did before, with the incision,” Danny said looking at Damian sadly. “It’s there, but inaccessible.”

               “And the bruises?” Damian asked as he straddled Danny’s lap. Danny grinned up at him.

               “They’re healing, shouldn’t hinder me much.” Danny ran his hands up Damian’s shirt before Damian smacked them away.

               “No, you’re injured,” Damian whispered as he leaned forward. “So you’re going to lay there and deal with whatever it is I decide to do to you.”

               “I feel like that may be unfair,” Danny joked before Damian silenced him with a kiss.

* * *

               “She was perfect, but now her time has come to an end,” Talia said looking at Valerie who was standing perfectly still next to Heretic. Heretic turned and put a bullet in her head. Valerie dropped. “Now we need to gather our resources and wait. When Phantom goes back on patrol, I want to know. It’s time to put that monster down.”

* * *

               “I don’t know who restarted the funding,” Vlad whispered shaking. The cuts were burning, but he knew that this was his fault. “They found me after I was released. But I had no idea where the money was coming from. At first I just thought that they had a reserve in case my assets were ever frozen or the government cut funding.”

               “The Government cut funding to them years ago. Back when they nearly killed a group of teenagers,” Waller growled glaring at the man. Something was different now, but she could truly not care less at the moment. This man nearly took away her greatest ally. “You would have to know how to track it.”

               “There are four buildings in Gotham that I know are under the same shell company that they were using,” Vlad informed looking up at the man she called Deadshot. “The name was Leben Wasser. It was German, but their accents weren’t.”

               “The League of Shadows?” Deadshot asked knowing that shell company. He’d been paid by them to take out targets that they wanted on the news, but without a link to them. They wanted a show off and Batman to follow someone else when they wanted to be shady. Lawton knew most of those times they were planning something else, but it was easy money.

               “They were behind it all then,” Vlad whispered feeling like he should have stopped it. He knew he should have let it go. This whole thing was his fault.

* * *

               _“I simply wish to see how long she’ll endure before collapsing,” the man said as he moved Valerie to another room. “She won’t be harmed.”_

_“Fine, I don’t care, just don’t kill her. I want Daniel to do that when I’m done,” Vlad growled watching as the lights flashed and she started screaming. “I need to be sure of his obedience.”_  

* * *

               Danny wheezed lightly as he breathed; Damian gently pressed his hand along the darkest bruise.

               “It’s not broken at least,” Damian said as he gently traced the bone he could feel. He didn’t realize how thin Danny was. With the stress and everything else, he never thought that Danny wasn’t getting enough food. “But you seriously need to eat.”

               “Yeah, I know. It’s getting bad again,” Danny said looking down at his hands. “I’m trying. It’s mostly just been the stress of everything.”

               “Well, once this is taken care of and we can get back to our apartment; we’re going on a vacation,” Damian decided. He didn’t always like going out of town, and preferred to stay in Gotham on patrol, but there were times when he knew Danny needed a break. And if he had to go anywhere, he would always want Danny to be by his side.

* * *

               _“Danny?” Valerie asked as she walked over to him. He looked up at her with a small smile. She was worried since he was sitting on the edge of the school with his leg dangling over._

_“Yeah?” Danny answered watching as she sat next to him._

_“Are you okay?”_

_“I broke up with Sam yesterday. Just trying to get some space. Both her and Tucker have been on top of me,” Danny said as he looked back over the schoolyard where Dash and Kwan were tormenting Mikey. “You’d think being Juniors, they would stop.”_

_“I highly doubt they’ll ever stop,” Valerie whispered crossing her arms and watching her friend carefully. “Are you okay though? You seem…off.”_

_“Just thinking about the future. I’m thinking about going to college out of state,” Danny informed looking at her. “And I might just have a scholarship to go to one in Metropolis.”_

_“Really?”_

_“If I can get one of my parents to sign off on it,” Danny said softly as he bowed his head. He knew he needed to talk to his dad about it before involving his mother. There was no way she would._

_She wouldn’t even believe him when he told about the other one that she ruined for him._

* * *

               “Danny, are you looking at colleges?” Damian asked as he sat down next to his boyfriend on the couch. He watched as Danny shut the computer and looked over at him.

               “I was. I…I finished my GED, but all the scholarships I could have gotten before are out the window,” Danny said as he looked at Damian. “I figure though I could work in Wayne Enterprises to pay it…”

               “Yeah, pick your college and apply,” Damian cut in. “I’ll go with you.”

               “Really? I thought you knew everything and didn’t think college would be worth it?” Danny asked as Damian gently traced the lines of bandages under his shirt.

               “I do, clearly, but I also don’t want you to go alone,” Damian whispered as he reached up and gently pulled Danny forward into a kiss. “Besides, I can probably get my father to pay for you.”

               “Alright, now I know I’m being bribed. What do you want?” Danny questioned with a small laugh as Damian slowly pushed him back on the couch and leaned over him.

               “Not much, _my love,”_ Damian whispered into his ear as he pushed Danny’s shirt up and over his head. “Besides, I think you also owe me for getting benched.”

               “That was not my fault,” Danny said seriously making Damian tense above him. “We still need to figure out what happened to Valerie.”

               “I know,” Damian agreed backing off slightly. Danny grabbed his arms and stopped him from getting off. “Father will find her. I know it.”

               “I’m sorry for picking a fight,” Danny whispered pulling Damian down for a kiss. Damian smiled.

               “Normally I’m the one who ends up having to apologize for picking fights,” Damian said as put himself completely over Danny. He balanced himself on his hands and looked down at Danny who seemed uneasy. Damian kept himself steady. “You’re not as okay as you’re trying to lead everyone to believe, are you?”

               “No,” Danny whispered closing his eyes and shifting himself so that his legs were wrapped around Damian’s waist. “I’m really not. I could use a distraction.”

               “Really,” Damian whispered leaning into Danny’s face. He’s always did like being a distraction for Danny.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Just the Middle of the Story


End file.
